The Tower of Druaga
by Nibiru-Mul
Summary: A story adaptation of Namco's arcade game series. Gilgamesh and Ki go on a quest to stop the demon Druaga from ravaging the land of Babylim. Various OCs and events added to the story as well. TO BE REVITALIZED
1. Prologue

_**DISCLAIMER: **Gil, Ki, Ishtar, Druaga, Succubus, Quox, Anu, Marduk, Balarant, Anshar (the hooded messenger), and Sargon are all property of Namco, not me. The first six appeared in numerous games, but the rest appeared in The Blue Crystal Rod, a game in the Druaga series only released in Japan. Some of the names of the more obscure characters are anglicized from the Japanese version. Most of the enemies listed are also property of Namco._

_Arzu and most of the other characters, however, are my own creations and therefore not property of Namco. Do not use any of them without my consent._

_**A/N 2011:** I have decided to update this story according to my current standards. The plot will drastically change, but will still stay somewhat true to the original. Also, try not to read and review the later chapters until I have updated them._

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**THE TOWER OF DRUAGA**

**BASED ON THE ARCADE GAME SERIES**

**ADAPTED BY NIBIRU-MUL**

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**CHAPTER 1: PROLOGUE**

**In another time...**

**In another world...**

The great Euphrates River flowed and winded along the land. Along the river was a vast plain. Many people lived along this plain. They harvested their multitude of crops by the river, and this brought great prosperity to the land along the river.

The people got along well and traded together, and worked together as if they were one being. They eventually decided to build a city to unite them along the banks of the river. They raised this as the capital of their kingdom. The city – and the kingdom that surrounded it – came to be known as Babylim.

But not all were pleased. The demon Druaga ravaged the vast plains and deserts to the west. He was a huge, green-skinned demon. His eight arms wielded swords and a ruby mace. His four legs had feet with clawed toes. His eyes were a fierce yellow color. On his chest was a golden breastplate with a red jewel in the center, and atop his head was a horned helmet. Druaga had a deep hatred for humanity in general. While Babylim was still being constructed, he set loose his fiendish creatures.

The people of Babylim appealed to the goddess Ishtar. She provided the people with defense against Druaga. With her help, the people were able to fend off Druaga's minions. Ishtar then battled Druaga himself and defeated him. She then sealed him away in a void outside of the city.

The city of Babylim was in the shape of a great square with a wall surrounding it. There was a bridge in the center of the city. The royal palace was located in the northwest, and a great meeting hall was located near the center.

The city was completed, and the people thanked Ishtar for her help. The chief god, Anu, heard of these deeds and created the Blue Crystal Rod. This rod was to give light and bring peace to the city of Babylim. It would also keep Druaga sealed in the void. But it must not be touched by evil hands or have its existence acknowledged by the likes of such

The human leader of the war, Enmerkar, became king. He formed alliances with many other states in the region. They later united to form an empire, eventually extending through all of the Euphrates and many other lands. Enmerkar was to be the forefather of many kings and queens of Babylim. Enmerkar also started a calender, and his reign began in year 1 - about a year after Druaga's defeat.

With the Rod from above shining its light down, Babylim flourished as its kingdom's capital. The monarchs ruled wisely for many years. The people were happy and lived for a long time free of serious problems. This period came to be known as the Old Kingdom of Babylim.

The people were devoted to the gods and built a temple for Ishtar in the northeast of the city. It was attended by a shrine maiden. She would hear the voice of Ishtar and reveal her words to the people of Babylim. However, this was only temporary, for when the shrine maiden reached a certain age, she lost the ability to hear the voices of the gods and a new one was to be named. As time went on, it was decreed that should a young man from the royal family wed a shrine maiden, he was to become the next king.

However, the greatness of Babylim did not last forever. In the year 890, the first kingdom of Babylim fell. For the next few hundred years, kingdoms rose and fell. Yet in the year 1324, a claimed descendant of Enmerkar named Nabutar founded the Middle Kingdom of Babylim. It lasted until the year 1944, when it broke up into other kingdoms. The Blue Crystal Rod was nearly forgotten about in this time, but Druaga remained sealed in the void.

In the year 2475, Endorak, another man claiming descent from Enmerkar, reclaimed the throne of Babylim and restored the kingdom to its former glory. This came to be known as the New Kingdom of Babylim. The realm extended along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, but it never was as large as the Old Kingdom. Endorak and his descendants kept Babylim together for several centuries.

The city of Uruk, downstream from Babylim, grew mighty over the years. The people of Uruk stirred up a rebellion against the king. They fought off Babylim, established their own ruler, and renamed the city Sumer. This gave rise to the Sumerian Empire. The empire built up its troops. However, they were restless and weak for the next two centuries.

Now it came about in the year 3190 that a man by the name of Marduk VII became king of Babylim, thus succeeding his father Marduk VI. Marduk was a wise man who ruled fairly and did many repairs on the city. He was also learned and acquired much lore from all over the world, from the icy wastelands of the north to the the southen tropical islands. By now, though, Babylim had been greatly reduced in size. What once was a large empire had disintegrated into many kingdoms.

Marduk wed a beautiful woman by the name of Ninsun. She was also a descendant of the House of Endorak. they had two children: Arzu and Gilgamesh. Arzu, the older, was a fair girl with long brown hair and beautiful eyes. She had no interest in ruling; rather, she followed her father's pursuits in literature. Many men wanted her hand in marriage, but she refused all.

Gilgamesh, the younger, was next in line to the throne. He was tall and handsome, with silky brown hair and gleaming eyes. He was quite a character, friendly, happy, and noble. He felt at home with the common people, who affectionately called him Gil. He is one of the main focuses of the story.

And so here our story begins…


	2. Gil and Enkidu

_**A/N:** This is the first new chapter that did not appear in the first version. Enkidu (Gil's older cousin) also did not appear in the first version._

_In one of my fan-created family trees, King Marduk is given two sisters, both older. The other sister, Shams, is a very minor character in this story. The names of Marduk's parents are Marduk VI and Ziba, but they are deceased at the time of the story._

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**CHAPTER 2: GIL AND ENKIDU**

Gil was quite capable, showing intelligence from a young age. Thus from the age of seven he was placed under the supervision of his cousin Enkidu.

Enkidu was the only child of King Marduk's oldest sister Shahnaz and her husband Hani. Hani was one of the greatest of Marduk's advisors, and had served as a commander in Babylim's army. Enkidu was a tall young man, with brown hair and eyes. He was also six years older than Arzu and ten years older than Gil. He had dwelt with King Marduk since he was eighteen.

Gil and Enkidu were close, for Enkidu was Gil's only male first cousin. Their bond almost rivaled that of Gil and Arzu. Many benefits came out of this relationship. Through the years, Gil learned quite a few life skills that were valued in Babylim. He learned how to ride a horse, how to gain intellect, and (most pleasing to Gil), how to converse with others.

Not long after Gil was placed under Enkidu's supervision, he had made a new friend. This friend was a young girl from a common family. The girl was only two months older than Gil. She was of average height, with long black hair and brown eyes. She was also very friendly. Her name was Ki. Ki was the daughter of Parviz, an artisan in the city of Babylim, and his wife Zarrin. In addition to Ki, Parviz and Zarrin had another daughter, Shala, three years younger than her sister.

Gil and Ki often spent time together. They did everything together - so much that it could not be listed easily. As the years went by, Gil and Ki grew ever closer. Some said that the two were going to fall in love and were destined to marry. And let's see what will happen...

But once Gil had turned fifteen, Enkidu had begun to drift away from him. He had found someone else to occupy much of his time. But Gil understood that this was important to Enkidu. For this was something that would be greater than the bond between two cousins...

It had happened when Enkidu, in the year 3211, had announced that he had fallen in love with a woman. This woman was the daughter of Shara Ninshur, a nobleman from the north of Babylim. This woman was a graceful woman, with light brown hair and blue eyes. Her figure was rather slender. She was kind but reserved. Her name was Aya.

Enkidu had asked Aya to marry him. But this match was deeply opposed by Aya's father. This was due to the fact that Aya's two older brothers had recently died under mysterious circumstances, and Shara did not want to lose his last child. In addition, there was a plot by one of Shara's friends to murder Enkidu, which caused great stir in Babylim. Some people had speculated that the conspirators were getting aid from the Sumer Empire, but that was not so. Anyway, King Marduk discovered the plot and the conspirators were disposed of.

This led Shara to give into Aya's wishes to marry Enkidu. Thus, Enkidu and Aya were to be married. This marriage was planned to take place towards the end of the eleventh month of 3211. Unfortunately, Shara would not live to see the wedding. He died a month before the wedding was to take place.

Even so, the marriage commenced, and there was a great celebration that took place. First, there was a parade within the city limits of Babylim. The parade started with several carefully selected people marching in front. After them marched a few of King Marduk and Queen Ninsun's attendants.

Then came the greatest attraction: a fancy wagon that was driven by horses. The wagon was blue, with all sorts of gold on it. It was decorated with flowers. The ecstatic couple of Enkidu and Aya stood in the center of the wagon. Enkidu wore a red suit with gold epaulettes and a maroon cape, while Aya wore a jade green gown and a silver tiara with a transparent mint green veil. For it was the custom of people in Babylim to dress colorfully at their weddings.

To Enkidu's right was Gil, dressed in an exquisite lavender suit that was designed similar to Enkidu's, a purple hat, and a purple cape. To Aya's left was Arzu, who wore a long pink gown with white embroidery and a silver tiara.

Enkidu, Aya, Arzu, and Gil were all enthusiastic. As the wagon rode through the streets, the four waved to everyone. Gil was most delighted near the temple of Ishtar, where he saw Ki and her family. Ki was wearing an orange dress and had a crown of laurels on her head. Gil instantly spotted her and waved to her, while Ki saw Gil.

"Ki!" shouted Gil.

"Hey, Gil!" shouted Ki, waving to Gil happily. "I am enjoying the wedding!"

"Great!" shouted Gil. "See you in the temple!"

Eventually, the carriage approached the great temple of Ishtar. The people in the wagon exited and went inside.

The focus is now on the inside of the temple. People are crowded through the inside, waiting for the couple. King Marduk and Queen Ninsun are sitting up front, while the rest of the royal family is nearby. First comes Enkidu with Gil, and then later comes Aya with Arzu. While she came in, Aya threw her bouquet of red flowers. Ki caught the bouquet and looked at Gil. Perhaps this was a sign for the future?

Enkidu and Aya stand at the altar, where the High Priest, Tahmasp, would promise Enkidu and Aya in marriage.

Tahmasp gave a long speech to introduce the couple and make sure they promised each other in marriage. Once Enkidu and Aya had taken their vows, Tahmasp had one more line to deliver.

"Then with the blessing of the goddess Ishtar," he said finally, "do I pronounce you man and wife. May you have a splendid marriage. Enkidu, you may now kiss the bride."

Enkidu and Aya's eyes illuminated, and the two kissed as the crowd cheered.

"I hope that there are many good times to come for you," Gil said to Enkidu.

"Thank you, Gil," said Enkidu.

"It pleases us more than anything," said Aya.

"I am also thankful for the preparations you and your father made for this wonderful day," said Enkidu.

"No problem," said Gil.

The bell of the temple rang, and the crowd outside was overjoyed.

And so would begin the saga of Prince Gilgamesh...


	3. Appointment of the Shrine Maiden

Eventually, the day came to appoint the shrine maiden. The people would meet outside of the temple of Ishtar to anticipate the announcement of the new shrine maiden.

A man appeared at the lectern and began to talk. "We have concluded that a young woman by the name of Ki has been chosen to be the next shrine maiden."

Ki was overjoyed. She made her way up to the lectern.

"Citizens of Babylim," she said. "As your new shrine maiden, I promise that I will be faithful in my duties. I do not know if we will maintain this peace, but we will work hard to preserve it. I know that the Sumerian Empire has grown powerful, but not even the Sumerians should try to bring us down. And if they do, we will fight them valiantly to the very end."

The crowd cheered. Gil gave Ki a thumbs-up.

The people then went inside the temple, with Ki leading the way. Ki walked over to the altar, with its statue of Ishtar on the throne behind it. She took a strip of paper and wrote a message in the holy script. She then placed the strip on the altar. The statue's blue jeweled scepter glowed. An illuminated message from the gods appeared.

Ki read the message. "It says that the Sumerian Empire will grow stronger, and we must safeguard against the empire's wrath."

The people in the crowd looked surprised and unsure.

Once the temple had been cleared of the crowd, Gil and Ki met by the altar. They were all alone.

"What does the message mean?" asked Gil.

"It means that we must watch out for the Sumerian Empire," said Ki.

"That day should be far…I hope…otherwise our world will be torn into shreds."

"Yes. Anyway, do you want to go walk along the river the next day?"

"I'm on for it. I will see you there tomorrow!"

"Okay." Ki began walking towards the temple entrance. "I have to get home before my parents realize I'm late. See you soon!"

"Bye," said Gil. Ki exited the temple.

Gil walked home through the darkness of the nighttime city. After a while, he encountered the city bazaar. There were lanterns on strings everywhere. Merchants were selling all sorts of goods. There were fruit, vegetables, meat, sweets, jewelry, clothing, rugs, statues, tools, armor, and weapons. Many people were there, looking for the items that they wanted.

Gil looked around and talked to the merchants. He thought of buying a gift for Ki.

"I would like to buy a present," said Gil.

One merchant called for Gil. This merchant, an old man with tools for making jewelry, was there.

"I have a special offer," he said, smiling. Gil watched as he worked on a pair of identical necklaces. They were gold chains, each with a blue jewel set in the center. "Would you like these necklaces? You can keep one and give the other to a girl that you love."

"I would," said Gil. He took several gold coins out of his pocket and handed them to the merchant, who gave him the necklaces. Gil then brought them home with him.

The next day, Gil and Ki went for their walk along the river. They saw the sun shining and heard the birds singing. Eventually, they reached the city limits and sat down by the banks.

"I have a present for you," said Gil. "Close your eyes."

Ki closed her eyes and put out her hands. Gil reached out of his pocket and held out one of the necklaces. The sun made its blue light shine bright. He placed it in Ki's hands.

"I bought it last night from the bazaar," he said. "I hope you like it. You can open your eyes now."

Ki opened her eyes, looked at the necklace, and smiled. "It's beautiful! I love the color." She put it around her neck. "I didn't expect a present at all. How very thoughtful of you!"

"I bought one for myself," said Gil. He took the other necklace out of his pocket and put it around his neck. Both of the necklaces seemed to shine brighter. "Now we match." Gil laughed.

The pair walked further, into the woods to the east of the city. They found themselves standing in a clearing. Flowers of a great variety of colors grew all along the clearing.

Gil and Ki ran through the meadow playfully, singing and dancing. After this, they fell to the ground. They looked at the sky.

"Sometimes," said Ki, "I feel that I can see it."

"See what?" asked Gil.

"The Blue Crystal Rod."

"It's up there. But let's not talk about it. If the Sumerian Empire ever finds out about it, they'll attack us and try to steal it! It is a grave matter."

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's all right. Let's keep quiet."

"I came back from the temple today," said Ki. "I heard that if you marry me, you will become the next king of Babylim."

"But that means you'll have to give up your position."

"True. But you always come first in my mind."

After Gil went home, he encountered Marduk and Ninsun at the table. They were eating plates of chicken and drinking wine.

"Hello," said Gil.

"Greetings," said Marduk. "Want to sit down with us?"

"Sure." Gil sat down in a chair next to Marduk.

"I was out giving Ki a present."

"I can see," said Ninsun. "I see that the necklace around your neck is new. It's quite lovely."

"I would like to ask you something."

"Go ahead," said Marduk.

"One day," said Gil, "can I marry Ki?"

"That would be wonderful," said Marduk. "But not right away. Let Ki perform duties as a shrine maiden for at least three months, and then you can take her hand in marriage."

"I will."

Gil then went to his father's library. There he met Arzu, who was reading a long book. Gil walked beside her to see what she was reading. "What is that book?" he asked.

"It is a book on the history of Babylim," said Arzu.

"I was just curious," asked Gil. "I'm just going to look in the back."

Gil went to the annex of the library, where there was a collection of scrolls. He took one of the scrolls. This one was very dusty and age-worn. Gil blew off the dust, opened it, and looked at it. It contained information that Gil had not seen before. He read it and then called for Arzu.

"Look at this," said Gil.

"I haven't seen this scroll before," said Arzu. "What does it say?"

"It talks about the royal family. It says that we must use this if the time comes, I must offer this scroll to the gods."

"Interesting…"

"It also says that if we're not careful, the day will draw near where this will be necessary to use."

"That day, hopefully, will be far into the future."

Gil looked closely at the scroll. "But how can we be sure about that?" He rolled up the scroll and put it away. He sat down in a lounge chair and thought to himself. What if that day _does_ draw near? What will become of Babylim? It vexed him.

Meanwhile, Ki went home to her family. She lived with her parents, Nabu and Siris, and her 14-year-old sister Shala. They didn't have a lot of money, and their house only had three rooms. The bedroom was saved for Ki and Shala. Their parents slept on the floor of the main room.

"Gil gave me a necklace," said Ki. She showed it to her family.

"That was nice of him," said Shala.

"Anyway, I thought I had seen the light of the Rod from the sky. It shined bright and blue, visible even in the blue sky."

"It is said that you can see it from down here," said Nabu.

"But don't talk about it," said Siris. "If our enemies find out about the Rod, we will be doomed."

"I will not talk about the Rod," said Ki.

"Good," said Siris.

"It's getting late," said Nabu. "I'm going to bed."

"I guess I'll go to bed as well," said Ki.

Ki went to her bedroom, which was in the back room.

"The Sumerian Empire will not find out, I hope."

But how can we be sure about that?


	4. The Sumerian Empire

Meanwhile, further downstream from Babylim, the Sumerian Empire was restless. It was a large empire, reaching from below Babylim to the lands in the northeast. Its capital was the city of Sumer.

Sumer was a walled port city, with many buildings and a huge gate for entering ships. A great palace stood opposite the gate. This palace was home to the Sumerian emperor and his family.

At this time the emperor was a man by the name of Bahlarant VII. He was a tall, strong man with a great build. He was quite skilled in battle and commandment, but he was also arrogant and vain. Bahlarant ruled the Empire with an iron fist, and his punishments for breaking the rules of the Empire were brutal. He had a great lust for power.

In the palace, Bahlarant raised a family. His consort was Lamia. She was as impressive in appearance as her husband. She had long, brown hair and was clad in much jewelry. In spite of her beauty, Lamia was as pompous and uncompromising as Bahlarant. She kept many people as slaves and treated them badly. They were often ordered to find clothing and jewels to suit her haughty desires.

The couple had two sons, Namtar and Erra. Namtar was about two years older than Princess Arzu, while Erra was about the same age as her. They were commanders of the Imperial Army despite their young age. They, as one would expect, were just like their parents, cruel and cold-hearted.

The Empire had a strong army, but it was not stable. The troops were restless and often attacked anyone that moved. There were constant disputes within the army.

Not long after Ki had become the shrine maiden of Ishtar, rumors began to cause dissent in Sumer. The rumors were that a Blue Crystal Rod shone over Babylim and blessed it with peace and prosperity. This made many people jealous and resentful of Babylim.

Eventually, the rumors reached the emperor. This caused him to go into a fit of rage and he scoffed at the messenger who told him.

"You say that Babylim has a Blue Crystal Rod – created by Anu himself?" thundered Bahlarant. "They don't know what they're talking about! What have _they_ done to deserve divine protection?"

"I don't know, Your Highness," said the messenger, terrified at the tone of the emperor's voice.

"We, the Sumerian Empire, are the ones who deserve that rod."

"Your Highness, the Rod is located high above us – all the way in the heavens."

Lamia entered the throne room. She was wearing a long, pink gown that accentuated her great bust. Her face was covered with bright makeup. Her hair blew as she walked. "What is going on?" she asked.

"Babylim has a Blue Crystal Rod shining upon it," said Bahlarant.

Lamia got the same angry look on her face that the emperor had on his.

The messenger, in a last-ditch effort, tried to talk the emperor out of it, but he failed. Bahlarant called his guards and they removed the messenger from the palace. The messenger was later executed.

"Now then, what will we do about this problem?" he asked.

"We will need the manpower for it," said Lamia.

The two looked at each other for a while, and then they got an idea.

"How about we invade Babylim?" asked Bahlarant. "We will fight the people of Babylim, defeat their king, kill the royal family, enslave the people, and then we will ask for the Blue Crystal Rod."

"Sounds like a great plan," said Lamia. "Those bastards won't even know what's coming at them!"

The emperor and his wife laughed wickedly.

"Here's what we will do," said Bahlarant. "Tell our sons to build up the army, but don't tell Babylim. It _has_ to be a surprise attack."

"I will do so."

"Now there is another person that I need to talk to," said Bahlarant. He left the throne room.


	5. The Emperor's Plan

Bahlarant was walking through the hallways of the palace. While he was doing it, he looked quite angry and felt that he had been lied to. He would bear an eternal grudge against King Marduk of Babylim.

"That is the worst thing that he would do," said Bahlarant. "Those haughty royals of Babylim would hide this secret from me? I deserve to have that Blue Crystal Rod so I can fortify my power above the world. That corrupt Marduk, that false jade Ninsun, and that nasty heir to the throne, their son Gilgamesh, need to die!"

Bahlarant reached an empty room, in which he closed the door and began pacing around. He didn't know what to do. As long as King Marduk and Queen Ninsun were still alive, he would not rest.

"There must be a person that I can contact," he said. "But who? Who is the one that I can help the invasion with? I would love to know _right now_ who I can use to help me?"

A woman came into the room. This woman was a slave, and her face was veiled - this was the custom for the female slaves of the court of Bahlarant. She offered Bahlarant his glass of wine, which he forcefully snatched from her.

"Good," he said. "Now get out of here!"

After the woman left, Bahlarant's two sons came in the room. Namtar and Erra were clad in fancy clothes, much like the clothing that Gil wore, but with swords by their sides. They wore horned helms on their heads. They clearly saw that their father was outraged.

"Father," said Erra, "why is it that you are enraged?"

"Yeah," said Namtar.

"Because," said Bahlarant, "I have just learned that the kingdom of Babylim has a Blue Crystal Rod shining over it and bringing peace to them. The dreaded King Marduk has not told us."

Namtar and Erra became enraged as well.

"Those bastards can't hide it from us!" yelled Namtar.

"What is up with King Marduk?" said Erra.

"That shows the selfishness of the king of Babylim," said Namtar. "And it has been said that it was up there shining for many centuries! That does not have to last forever. We can steal it."

"It's been long enough that they have been hiding it," said Bahlarant. "I want you to tell me – who is the person I will have the best chance convincing to start an invasion of Babylim?"

There was a long pause.

"We know the right person for you to talk to," said Namtar. "There is a woman by the name of Zeresh. She is said to be an expert of the land of Babylim. She should be in the city of Larsa, but we will fetch her for you."

"Very well," said Bahlarant. "I would like you to find Zeresh, talk to her, and bring her here. Then we will discuss the invasion of Babylim. While we do it, you will organize the troops."

"We will do it," said Erra.

"Good," said Bahlarant. "Now hurry up and leave!

Namtar and Erra went to the city of Larsa and found the residence of Zeresh. After talking it out for an hour, she decided to accompany them to Sumer. She was quickly brought to the Sumerian royal palace.

Zeresh appeared before Bahlarant, who was sitting on his throne. She was quite tall and had long black hair and piercing brown eyes. She was clad in a long blue dress and a cape.

Zeresh was the widow of Haman, a tradesman in Larsa and a former advisor to Bahlarant. They had married when Zeresh was just seventeen. Though Haman was thirty years older than Zeresh, the two lived well together, though theythe marriage was never consummated because Zeresh hated children. Haman had helped Bahlarant in his ruthless destruction of his conquered realms. Haman had died suddenly five years ago.

Zeresh was quite cunning, and some in the Empire believed that she was a witch. She was rather secretive, so there were many other suspicions about her. Yet she was not hesitant to reveal herself to Bahlarant, for she shared his ideas about invading Babylim. She also hoped that in doing that, she would be influential in the Sumerian Empire.

"Your Highness," she said, "it is I, Zeresh. I have heard about the Blue Crystal Rod. I shall help you plan your invasion of Babylim. So, what would you like to do about the invasion?"

"I would like a full-force invasion," said Bahlarant. "Namtar and Erra have already started training the Sumerian troops, while I was sitting here waiting for you to come."

"It is a good thing to attack that way," said Zeresh.

"Yes."

"I think that we should also give King Marduk and Queen Ninsun a public execution in front of many people. Then our citizens will see what despicable creatures they are!"

"Yes!" shouted Bahlarant. "I agree with you, Zeresh. I would love to hear of your plans."

"And there is also another thing," said Zeresh. "I don't think you should kill Gilgamesh, though. He might make a valuable slave, and it would be nice to see him suffer from hard labor. Ha ha!"

Bahlarant was unsure about this, but after thinking it out, he agreed to put Gil in slavery once Babylim surrendered.

"And as for Princess Arzu," said Zeresh, "I think that she should be given to your son Namtar as a bride. That will forge an alliance with the Empire."

"No," said Bahlarant. "Make her a slave as well. But that shrine maiden Ki can be a bride for my son! She will love being the wife of a Sumerian prince. She will get anything she would desire."

"Of course. What was I thinking?"

"I agree."

"One last thing," said Zeresh. "What should we do to try to get the Blue Crystal Rod from heaven? Anu has it guarded. There is no way that we could get it without being killed!"

"You'll see," said Bahlarant, "you'll see…"

"Now that we have all our plans, let the invasion commence."


	6. The Invasion Commences

The day after Bahlarant learned of the Blue Crystal Rod, the Sumerian army began to prepare for the invasion of Babylim. They learned how to use their swords wisely, loot buildings, destroy walls, and attack civilians. This made them an army truly to be feared. The army waited patiently for the invasion to commence.

At last, the day came to invade Babylim. The soldiers put on their armor and began marching in a pattern. They marched on and on for miles.

Meanwhile, Babylim was not prepared to fight a war. They had an army, but it had been many decades since it fought in a war. The Sumerian Empire, on the other hand, waged war to gain territory extending to far-off lands.

The soldiers advanced towards the kingdom of Babylim, with Bahlarant in his chariot, carrying a whip to istrike at any soldiers who dared to turn back.

"Move faster!" he yelled. "You sons of bitches think that we can conquer Babylim when you're moving at snail speed?"

The Imperial Army marched faster. The army reached the city of Babylim. They started by destroying walls. The bricks holding the walls were loosened by the swords of the Sumerians. One by one, the walls surrounding the citadel of Babylim had fallen. The Sumerian soldiers hoarded the bricks for later use. Then they left, waiting for the heavy artillery to attack the city, which without its walls was vulnerable to enemy attacks.

Marduk made a distress call and called for the citizens to form a crowd. He stood at the balcony of the royal palace with Ninsun and Gil by his side. The three looked weary.

"Citizens of Babylim," said Marduk, "It appears that the Sumerian Empire has planned an attack on our city. They are gone for now, but we must arm ourselves and fight them off. In the meantime, do not panic. But we'll have to see for ourselves what will happen to our kingdom. I expect a messenger from the Empire soon."

A messenger of Babylim, made his way from the safety of the kingdom to the dangerous frontiers of the Sumerian Empire. He was carrying a message that said that the Sumerians shall not attack Babylim any further.

The messenger went to the palace of Bahlarant and handed him the message. But…

"This message," said Bahlarant angrily, "from the king of Babylim says that we should stop our siege? Never in a million years! Because of this, I will prepare a more massive invasion!"

Bahlarant ordered the messenger to be put to death. Within a matter of minutes, two soldiers blindfolded the messenger, took him out to the courtyard, and hacked off his head.

"That will teach you to mess with the emperor's plans!" yelled one of the soldiers.

Back in Babylim, the citizens prepared to fight the soldiers of the Sumerian Empire. They made a vast quantity of armor and weapons. Many people bought these armaments. There wasn't much time left before Babylim would learn its fate, so the soldiers trained quickly and worked for long hours.

Gil had not experienced any battles before, nor did he know how to handle a sword, but when the training began, he learned proper swordplay very quickly. Within a few days, he was ready to defend his beloved kingdom. Gil was given a suit of silver armor, an ornate shield, and a scimitar.

Ki prepared for the invasion as well. She learned how to write emergency notes to the gods. On the day of the invasion, she would place a note on the altar and ask the gods for help. However, she would have to do it fast, or the Sumerians could storm the temple and destroy the notes.

At last, the day came for the next invasion to begin. The Sumerians were going faster this time. Instead of marching to Babylim on foot, the majority of soldiers would take ships upstream and attack Babylim from there. Meanwhile, Bahlarant would lead another group of soldiers through the woods. Then the soldiers would surround Babylim and attack its people. Finally, they would raid the palace and kill the king and queen, forcing Babylim to surrender.

The people of Babylim grabbed their weapons, put on their armor, and prepared to face the Sumerian Empire and its army.

Once again, Marduk was standing on the balcony in front of a large crowd of people.

"The Imperial Army draws near," he said. "Are you ready to face the soldiers and show them that we have the right to our kingdom?"

"YES!!!" the people cheered.

In a while, Sumerian soldiers came on ships and began hacking away at the outer buildings. They set various homes aflame. The people inside the homes screamed, and they ended up dying in the blazes. The bazaar was ravaged and sacked. Its goods were stolen, boarded on ships, and sent back to be sold in Sumerian marketplaces. The soldiers killed people and spilled their blood in the streets. Many people ran to the royal palace and the temple of Ishtar for shelter.

The army of Babylim began marching. When they saw the Sumerian soldiers, they charged at them. Then, they lured some of the soldiers outside of the city. The Sumerian army gave chase. The battle raged on at the city limits.

Gil and Arzu were among those fighting to protect the city. Arzu led troops into the woods to fight the advancing soldiers there, while Gil took charge of the soldiers in the city and on the field. Gil managed to slay several soldiers, but there were just too many to fight off.

Ki hid people in the temple of Ishtar, where she and the keeper of the shrine protected the temple. Ki offered a strip of paper to the gods. This strip asked for the gods to protect the temple from destruction. Once she placed the strip on the altar, the statue of Ishtar's scepter glowed. Another message appeared in front of Ki.

"It says that the temple is now protected from destruction," said Ki. "We shall wait for help."

The Sumerian soldiers marched on. Some left to raid other cities in the kingdom, but most stayed in Babylim. Then the soldiers began to set their sights on the palace. When Gil learned this, he was shocked.

"They can't do that to the palace," he yelled. "It's royal property! If those bastards even dare to vandalize it, they can expect a rain of fire!"

Quickly, Gil and Arzu told their soldiers to head for the palace. There they would hold out the soldiers and hurl fire at them. The soldiers of Babylim went to the palace walls. They shot flaming arrows and hurled hot oil and jars of fire at the Sumerian soldiers, who ended up burning in a huge inferno.

However, Babylim had far from won its battle. Bahlarant saw this and called for reinforcements. These soldiers hurried to Babylim as quickly as possible. Even worse, these soldiers brought incendiary weapons. From there they would storm the palace.

Marduk looked out the window and looked to his wife. "It seems like we are going to be captured," he said. "Call for Gil and Arzu, and tell them that I have something to speak to them about."

The reinforcement soldiers finally arrived, and they joined the other Sumerian soldiers in turning Babylim into a collection of ruins. Once most of the city had been left to burn, the soldiers proceeded to enter the palace. They went to the gates and burst it open. Then they marched through the courtyard and into the gates of the palace.

Gil and Arzu hurried to Marduk and Ninsun and met them in the palace. But then Gil was told to go into the plains to the west of Babylim.

"From there," said Marduk quietly, "go to the fortress of Bar-Nimrod, which is located several miles to the northwest of Babylim. There you should defend the fortress. Arzu, I want you to flee to Sippar that lies between the rivers. It is east of Dur-Nimrod. Hold out from there. I will defend Babylim here. So, do you agree to do so?"

"Yes, we do," said Gil and Arzu.

"Gil," said Marduk, "when you leave for the path, you will encounter the lord Enkidu. He has come over from Sippar to help you. You two should go into the fortress. There you will find soldiers of Babylim. They will aid you in the defense."

"I agree to this," said Gil. "Now I will set out."

Gil and Arzu left the palace and went their separate ways.. Now they would try hard to defend Babylim from the invaders.


	7. Babylim Falls

Gil quickly rushed from his post to the palace's throne room. He saw the room to be surprisingly empty. The throne was not occupied. There was no sound coming from anywhere. Where were the Sumerian soldiers?

"I don't know why they aren't here," said Gil.

Suddenly, Gil heard loud banging that was coming through the palace door. He ran from the throne room to the secret passage, where the soldiers would not find him. From there, Gil would find Marduk and Ninsun and tell them to flee.

The soldiers began marching in. They did not destroy anything, thinking that the items stored inside the palace could be put to good use. Immediately, they saw Gil and began to yell at him.

Instantly, Gil ran away from the soldiers. The soldiers gave chase. He led them through the many halls of the palace and out into the back courtyard. Seeing that Gil had no hope but to stop, he tried as hard as he could to save himself from the Imperial Army. He jumped into a bush in a corner, where the soldiers could not see him. Gil heard them talking while in there.

"I wonder what they're going to do," he said.

The soldiers went back in the palace and found themselves in the throne room once again. They had not checked the rest of the palace, so they decided to do that. They split up into groups and searched the various rooms of the palace. They searched the library, the dining hall, the lounge, the bedrooms, and the courtyard. At first they had no luck, but then…

When the soldiers met up again, they decided to look in the one place they hadn't looked in before: the basement. This was where the storage room was. The soldiers immediately stormed the basement. The room was dark and gloomy. There were no windows. Various items, such as potions, books, furniture, statues, and machines were located in the room. In the back was a long row of drapes.

Since they could not see a thing, one of the soldiers got out a lantern. He walked around, yelling for anyone to come out. He looked at every corner of the room, but couldn't find them. At last, he decided to check behind the drapes. He opened the drapes and found Marduk and Ninsun, shivering.

"Please," said Ninsun, "Spare us!"

"No!" shouted the soldier.

"Okay," said Marduk, "we surrender. Then can you please spare us?"

"I still will NOT spare you. You are going to be executed the following day. We will drag you to the Empire in chains, place you in the town square, and slay you. There's no compromising on this!"

The soldiers pounced on Marduk and Ninsun and tore at their clothes. Then they removed their royal headgear. Next, the soldiers beat them up and severely injured the couple. After that, they tied up cloth to their mouths. Finally, they were put in chains and dragged out of the palace.

In the meantime, Gil crawled out of the bush. He noticed that it was suspiciously quiet outside. There were no soldiers, no screaming and burning, and no blood spilling all over the place.

"I wonder why it's so quiet," said Gil. "I ought to look around,"

Gil looked around the courtyard. It was empty: most of the courtyard's stuff had been removed. The courtyard looked like a vast wasteland, and Gil was the wanderer in the desert.

Next, Gil went inside. The palace was the same as the courtyard: empty, with no trace of the items save a few broken parts. There was nothing that spelled disaster like the items being stolen. "The Sumerians did this," said Gil, "and yet I feel that I'm getting closer to where my parents are."

He looked all over the palace, but there was no sign of the king or the queen. Eventually, there was no other option but to look in the basement. Gil lit up a candle and walked into the basement. He walked around, shining the candle at the empty floor that once was home to many items. Gil then looked at the area where the drapes were. Except they weren't there; the soldiers had stolen them too. Gil found a note at his feet. He picked it up and read it.

_Whosoever finds this note shall know that King Marduk and his queen, Ninsun, have been captured and are now being held in the prison of Babylim. They have surrendered the kingdom, making it property of His Imperial Highness, Bahlarant the Seventh, Emperor of Sumeria and King of Elam, Persis, Media, and Charax. He will make it clear that no one stands in the way of Sumeria. Of what will become of Prince Gilgamesh and Princess Arzu, we know not._

"Oh no," said Gil. "They don't know what's going to happen to me and Arzu? I suspect that they are going to put us to death as well – only not at the same time as our parents. I've got to find them!"

He hurried out of the palace before it was too late. After a while, he arrived at the prison of Babylim, which was now a prison of the Sumerian Empire. It was a moderately large building, with cells for many people. The windows looked dark and empty, but Gil figured that there were probably many prisoners trapped inside.

Gil entered the prison, where there was a Sumerian soldier, clad in shiny white armor, guarding the cell where Marduk and Ninsun were kept as prisoners.

At first, Gil was nervous about asking the soldier for one final visit with his parents, but he walked slowly and approached the soldier. Each step that Gil took he shivered.

"Excuse me," said Gil. "These two that you are keeping in the prison, the king and queen, are my parents. I would like to talk to them. If you promise to let me see them, I will not do any harm to you or the imperial army."

"Go on," said the soldier. "But be careful. The other soldiers should not know about this visit that I have granted you."

"Thanks. By the way, why would you feel any sympathy for me? Your empire is destroying my kingdom."

"There's no time for that! Your parents are waiting."

Gil walked over to his parents. They were clad in rags and bent over due to mistreatment by the Sumerian soldiers. They looked exhausted, but smiled because Gil came to see them.

"What has happened?" asked Gil.

"The Sumerians have captured us," said Ninsun. "We have been forced to surrender."

"My throne has been taken from me," said Marduk. "Now Babylim lies in the hands of the Empire. Tomorrow we will be put to death. You and Arzu must flee the city if you want to be safe, or you will face enslavement."

"The Empire can't do this to you!" yelled Gil.

"Bahlarant has announced that the city of Babylim is to become just another province of the ever-growing Sumerian Empire. All you can do is try to get out if you can. There's no hope, Gil. Sorry."

"Okay. Then I guess this is goodbye."

Gil began to cry.

The soldier who was guarding the prison saw that Gil was very upset. He began to feel that same pain inside of his heart. He led Gil to another cell, where Arzu was sitting on a bed. She was clad in rags as well, and various parts of her body were broken, but she still looked calm. The soldier let Arzu out of her cell.

"I will never see them again," said Gil.

"I know," said Arzu. "I'm going to miss them as well. But we can't do anything about it. The Sumerian Empire is going to execute them tomorrow."

"But how have you managed to survive? I thought that we were to be executed as well."

"We'll see what happens."

Gil rubbed the tears out of his eyes. "I promise that I will not do anything to let them execute us as well! We will need to find a way to save our kingdom and regain our self-government."

"And then we can install you as king," said Arzu.

"But how? We don't know what the Sumerian Empire is capable of. Even the emperor and his wife are unaware of it. Besides, most of us are probably going to end up slaves."

"That is true. We'll never know for sure."

The next day, Gil and Arzu were invited to see the execution of Marduk and Ninsun. This was not for the benefit of either of them, but rather to make them feel tortured. They were told to dress nicely. They went, unwillingly, on a ship down the Euphrates River.

"This is just evil," said Gil. "Making us see our parents getting executed in front of hundreds, maybe thousands, of people? What kind of ruler does that?"

"A ruler like Bahlarant, of course," said Arzu. "Bastard thinks he can do anything he wants."

"I found a letter in the basement of the palace. I have it in my pocket."

"Let me read it."

Gil handed Arzu the letter. She read it carefully. "So," she said, "we're just another of the Empire's victims. These lands mentioned in the letter were once kingdoms. Their monarchs have been overthrown and killed."

When they arrived at Sumer, Gil and Arzu went separate ways. Gil walked towards the left side of the city, where he found Namtar and Erra. They were wearing armor and had swords at their sides.

"So," said Erra, "if it isn't Prince Gilgamesh! Here to see his mother and father be executed!"

"Back off, you two," said Gil.

"Gilgamesh," said Namtar, "so why don't you just keep your mouth shut while we enjoy the death of those arrogant rulers."

"They are _not_ arrogant!" yelled Gil. "You are the ones who are."

"Why don't you be quiet," said Namtar, "or we will slit your throat!"

Gil shut his mouth.

"Good," said Erra, "Now go to the town square!"

Gil rejoined Arzu and the two went to the public square, where they saw Ki, who had also been invited.

"What are you doing here?" asked Gil.

"I came here to see you," said Ki.

"You're all right?"

"I am. I asked for divine protection of the temple, and I got it. The temple is safe now."

"I didn't even take time to notice."

Once the crowd had gathered in the town square, Bahlarant appeared before them. He stood tall and firm, and was wearing armor. Lamia was by his side, clad in her best clothing and jewelry. There were soldiers standing behind them, wielding their sharpest swords. Marduk and Ninsun entered, blindfolded and gagged. They walked up to the soldiers.

"Let us know," said Bahlarant, "that these two, King Marduk and Queen Ninsun, have surrendered Babylim to the Sumerian Empire just yesterday. They are in custody of the Empire so there won't be any rebellion. That is why on this very day, the couple will meet their deaths."

The hecklers in the crowd jeered at them. Gil, Arzu, and Ki looked uncomfortably at the emperor.

"In addition," the emperor continued, "we have today, in front of my very own eyes, the children of these monarchs, Gilgamesh and Arzu. Let them know that they are also to be looked down upon."

The hecklers jeered at Gil and Arzu.

"And let us all know," the emperor continued, "that the citizens of Babylim are to be reduced to slavery, and they will do what I order them to do. The Imperial Army will make sure they do this."

Bahlarant cleared his throat. "Now, without further ado, let the execution begin!"

The soldiers unsheathed their swords, which glimmered in the bright sunlight. They then drew them towards Marduk and Ninsun. In a flash, their heads were sliced off and fell to the ground. Their heads and bodies were then dragged to a stake and set ablaze. Gil, Arzu, and Ki looked at the mess.

Babylim had been defeated.


	8. The Rise of the Tower

The next day, Gil, Ki, and Arzu were sent back to Babylim. Ki continued with her shrine duties, while Gil and Arzu lost their own home. They had to make do with an inn, where they could only pack a few outfits and some food.

Gil was lying down on his bed, crying. The death of his parents was a real tragedy for him.

"Don't worry," said Arzu. "I'm very upset as well, but don't get hopeless."

"I _am_ hopeless," cried Gil. "I can't believe they're gone. I've never been more upset in my life."

Arzu embraced Gil. "I can't say it's going to be all right," she said, "since I don't think it will be."

"What's going to happen to us next?" asked Gil.

"I don't know," said Arzu.

Now that Bahlarant had gotten King Marduk and his queen out of the way, Babylim was to listen to him. He had his own ambitions. The Blue Crystal Rod, which the army had forgotten about, was brought to the emperor's attention once more.

"It is with great pleasure," announced the emperor, "that I will claim the Blue Crystal Rod for the Empire. But how do we get this Rod, you ask? Well, we will steal it from the heavens! How will we do it? We will build a great tower that will reach the very heavens and take the Rod!"

The people of Babylim were outraged when they learned that the Sumerians had the intent of stealing the Blue Crystal Rod. However, they could not voice their opinions, lest they face execution or sack of their homes. So they agreed to help build a tower to heaven.

Within a week of the execution, people began dragging heavy materials to a plain located about a mile to the west of Babylim's city limits. This was an empty space, with mostly trees and stones. A large section of this forest was cleared to make room for the tower.

Many people ended up working as slaves for the Sumerians. Not only the people of Babylim, but those of the other kingdoms conquered by the Sumerian Empire worked on the tower. Among them were Gil and Nabu, who worked on bricks to build the tower. It was hard work, and consumed many hours, but the soldiers would beat anyone who dared to break from the labor. This helped the people to work.

A great stone base was created for the tower to stand on. This served as a place for the soldiers to stand on and harass the workers by throwing rocks at them. The workers were so mistreated that some of them died.

Gil sat on the scaffolding, talking to Nabu.

"Nabu," he said, "the work's getting harder every day. I don't think I can last much longer doing this for the selfish desires of an occupying empire."

"It sure is rigorous work. I also know that this will only benefit the Sumerians, who will climb this damn thing and steal the Blue Crystal Rod."

"How tall is this structure going to be?"

"I don't know. Bahlarant wants it to be tall enough to reach heaven."

"Then it will take years – maybe centuries – to reach heaven. Besides, Anu is probably furious about the intent of the Sumerian Empire."

Suddenly, a soldier walked by.

"Stop the conversation and get back to work!" he yelled.

Gil and Nabu got back to work.

As the tower got higher and higher, the work got more and more dangerous. People had to climb hundreds of feet above the ground, where one false move would result in them falling to their deaths. The soldiers grew incredibly oppressive, whipping the workers and attacking them with their swords. This made the workers angry, but they were afraid to question their masters.

One day, when the tower was soaring about 50 floors above the ground, Gil was yet again working on the tower with Nabu, sitting on the scaffolding. The two were clad in ragged clothes, and their eyes were red due to lack of sleep. Nabu, who was only in his early forties, looked like a much older man due to the stress of slave labor.

"This is getting horrible," said Nabu. "I haven't been able to sleep, eat, or go anywhere besides this tower. I want to get out of this mess."

"I wish I could be like Ki," said Gil. "She doesn't have to work herself to death far above the ground. How is she doing? I haven't gotten much of a chance to talk to her since this stupid thing was being built."

"She's actually quite happy. Ki has been working in the shrine. As shrine maiden, the Sumerians have exempted her from the slave labor, thinking that she could be of use to them."

"It is really cold up here. I feel like I'm going to fall off the tower and die."

"I feel the same way, Gil."

"What will happen when the tower is finished?"

"I don't know. We'll have to wait and see."

That night, Nabu went home in great pain. He took off his ragged clothes. He lay down on the floor in his undergarments and sweated heavily. Siris, who had also been working on the tower, sat by Nabu's side as he moaned. Shala prepared dinner for him. She thought he needed it badly, since he got very little food at work.

"How is the work?" asked Shala.

"A nightmare," said Nabu. "I don't want to work for the Sumerian Empire's selfish ambitions. I know that if Bahlarant gets his grimy hands on the Blue Crystal Rod, he will use it to destroy Babylim from the inside out."

"I don't believe that Bahlarant will get it," said Siris. "The tower's construction has to stop at some point."

"Pretty soon they'll run out of materials."

"I wonder what the Sumerians will do when that happens."

"Maybe," said Shala, "they'll have to leave the tower at the height that it will be by then, but I don't know what the Empire will do to us next. Probably something much worse."

"Ki is lucky that she doesn't have to work on the tower," said Nabu.

"Once this tower is completed," said Siris, "she should be allowed to see Gil once more."

Ki walked in the door and saw her father lying on the floor sweating. She noticed that on each side of his body was a huge puddle. She helped him up and washed the sweat off with a rag.

"Thanks, Ki," said Nabu.

"You must have been working your back off," said Ki.

"I'm not going back to the tower," said Nabu. "It's painful work as it is."

"It looks pretty high," said Shala, "I'm guessing that soon the tower will be completed and the Sumerians will try to steal the Blue Crystal Rod, but I really hope that they fail."

"I hope so, too."

The hard labor went on and on for many more days. More people fell to their deaths working on the tower. It soared so high that a few people on the ground fainted at the sight of it up close. But Bahlarant pushed forward and continued with the rigorous work.

Eventually, the Sumerian Empire was getting low on materials, so the workers completed the 60th floor of the tower and the Empire decided to leave it at that, for any higher might lead to a problem. But by now, the tower hovered about a thousand feet above the ground. It was a lofty brick structure watching over the city.

"The tower is 60 floors now," announced Bahlarant. "Apparently, that is enough. Now then, it's time to do what we have hoped to do for a few months now! And that is to take that Rod from the heavens!"

Gil was relieved that the tower was done, so he instantly ran to the temple to meet Ki. He saw her at the front of the temple, looking at the tower in the distance.

"It's all done," said Gil. "At last, I am free from the hard labor I had done for three months"

"I am so happy to see you again," said Ki. "It's been a month since I've been able to talk to you. The tower has been in nonstop construction. Maybe that's why it was finished so quickly, considering its immense size."

"This was the worst thing that ever happened to me," said Gil.

"Maybe we should keep the tower," said Ki. "After all, it is a work of architecture."

"A work of architecture built by slave labor, no less."

"I feel bad for you, too. But we'll see what happens."

Gil looked at Ki, seeing that she still had the necklace he bought for her. "You still have it!" he said.

"I know," said Ki. "Do you still have yours?"

"I think I do. It was confiscated from me the day that those damn soldiers killed my parents."

"Is Arzu doing all right?"

"She's not so happy. She also didn't have to work, but I heard from the soldiers that Bahlarant wanted to give her as a bride to his eldest son."

"That's terrible."

"She's the closest family that I have now."

Gil sat down on the floor and leaned against the altar. "I don't know what the gods will do about these soldiers attempting to steal the Blue Crystal Rod."

"I feel that they will strike down the soldiers."

"They do deserve it."

Meanwhile, the soldiers stormed the newly-completed tower. They went up and up and up, until they began hearing the sound of thunder from outside.


	9. Anu Strikes the Tower

This act of building the tower certainly would not go unchecked. For at that time, Anu had heard all about Bahlarant's plan to steal the Blue Crystal Rod. He was very outraged and found this act to be extremely offensive.

Anu sat on his throne, pondering what to do about the Sumerian Empire. Then he got an idea.

"The Sumerians can expect a rain of rubble," he said. "I do not want their hands to touch the Blue Crystal Rod, or the world can be thrown into danger. It could lead to an even worse foe than Bahlarant to arise and try to take the Rod."

"I will destroy the tower," he said angrily but quietly.

Anu went out of his throne room to where the Blue Crystal Rod was. The Rod stood in its holder, shining bright like a small tower. The Rod's blue light was shining from here at least.

"It is time for the Sumerian Empire to get what they deserve," said Anu. "Now the tower will fall much quicker than it has risen."

Suddenly, the bright, sunny sky gave way to storm clouds. There was thunder in the air. The people below did not panic, but looked up at the sky. What they saw was not going to be a thunderstorm, but the wrath of the gods.

The Sumerian soldiers inside the tower marched on and on. The tower was empty except for the soldiers. It was dark in there. The slaves had built labyrinthine walls inside the tower, which the soldiers regretted having built.

They heard the thunder. After that, lighting began flashing and lit up the tower. The soldiers thought that it was light to guide them towards the Blue Crystal Rod.

The walls of the tower began crumbling. Stones on the ceiling started falling down one by one. Pillars fell down. Debris blocked the pathway to the topmost floor of the tower.

"Let's get out of here!" yelled the soldiers.

The soldiers tried to get out, but debris blocked the path down the tower as well. They were trapped. They braced themselves and got ready to meet their maker. Within a while, they were all killed.

The tower began crumbling itself. A number of floors collapsed. Bricks began flying all over the place. The people below just looked in awe, as this was the tower they had been forced to build. They just saw the tower's destruction as a sign that Anu had taken an effort to stop the Imperial Army from stealing the Blue Crystal Rod.

Within minutes, the tower was severely damaged, and the Sumerian soldiers were all dead. Bahlarant and Lamia, who stood outside the tower, looked at the tower in shame and walked away, for Namtar and Erra were among the soldiers killed in the blast.

But worse was yet to come.


	10. Druaga Rising

The tower stood in its broken state for a while. It still loomed high above the ground, but there were bricks scattered along the base and stones that were cracked into pieces.

Yet this was not the time for the people of Babylim to rejoice. In fact, an even bigger disaster came about. For when the tower was completed, it was so tall that it blocked the invisible light guarding the prison to the void. This void was none other then the one that Ishtar had sealed the demon Druaga in. Druaga made his way out of the void and back into the world.

"Free…at last!" he laughed wickedly.

Druaga stood tall and more powerful than ever. But he knew that if he was to be seen by anyone, the goddess Ishtar could once again seal him into the void. So he set his eyes on the broken tower.

A huge smirk grew across his face. "This tower," he said, "will be the perfect opportunity for me to hide from the world. But first…I need something to protect myself."

Druaga teleported himself to heaven. He also knew that Anu could find him and condemn him. When Anu was not looking, he quickly rushed over to the Blue Crystal Rod – the perfect item for him to wield.

"Now then," he said, "I have right before my eyes the Blue Crystal Rod! And I can only imagine what Anu will do when he finds that his beloved Rod is not in its place! HA HA!"

Instantly, Druaga removed the rod from its holder and disappeared in a flash.

Once he was back on the ground, Druaga first used the Blue Crystal Rod to put everyone into a deep sleep so he could make plans. Once this was done, Druaga got to work. With the Blue Crystal Rod in his hand, he used it to construct the broken walls, remove the debris from the path to the top, and restore the collapsed floors. Soon, the tower was just like it was before Anu shattered it.

In heaven, Anu walked over to where the Blue Crystal Rod was supposed to be. Except there was no Rod. "Who did this?" he said.

Meanwhile, Druaga made his way to the topmost floor of the tower, where he was far away from the people. He made himself unseen so nobody who entered the tower could find him.

But Druaga was not the only one who would end up residing in the tower.


	11. Quox the Dragon

While this was all happening, another creature made its way through the sky on its wings. It flew, unnoticed, to the newly-completed tower.

This creature was known as Quox. Quox was a dragon. He was not much taller than a human. His skin was as green as Druaga's, except for the grey scales of his wings and his grey head. His eyes were as red as rubies. He did not have the ability to breathe fire. Despite his fearsome appearance, Quox was actually a very docile, friendly, and free-spirited dragon.

Many years ago, Quox was born from the light of the Blue Crystal Rod and was physically linked to it. He was a roamer, constantly looking for a place to call home. However, he had yet to find one, until he set his eyes on the tower.

When he first made his way into the tower, he encountered the Sumerian soldiers, who were on their way up the tower to steal the Blue Crystal Rod.

"Hello," he said to the soldiers. "I'm Quox the Dragon. I would like to live in this lovely tower."

"Shut up, bitch!" one of the soldiers said. "We don't need your babbling messing up our quest. We are climbing this tower with the intent to steal the Blue Crystal Rod from heaven."

"I don't know about that. Anu will be pretty angry about it."

"I don't care about what he says. The Sumerian Empire needs that Blue Crystal Rod!"

"You can expect Anu to interrupt your quest and kill you."

"Screw you!" said the soldiers.

"Fine. Have it your way."

Once the tower was damaged by the lightning bolt, Quox made his way to the top of the tower and waited. When Druaga appeared and stole the Blue Crystal Rod from heaven, he was about to fall asleep. Eventually, he saw Druaga. The sight of Druaga next to Quox was an unsettling one.

"Druaga," he said. "What are you doing?"

"Taking the Blue Crystal Rod," said Druaga. "It's mine now. I used it to rebuild the tower."

"I want to dwell here."

"Too bad. I am already the resident of this tower, which is now officially the Tower of Druaga. You should get out of here and find another home before I use this Rod to make you my slave!"

"Wait!" Quox cringed. "I don't want to do any harm to you. I would just like to live here. Besides, I was here before Anu struck the tower with a lightning bolt."

"Then stay out of my way," said Druaga.

He vanished.

"Phew," Quox sighed, "That was a relief. Druaga will not make me my slave. But I know that Druaga will not keep his promise not to enslave me. I must remain vigilant and never let my guard down."

Quox the Dragon lived in the tower without worry of Druaga enslaving him for a time. But he didn't trust Druaga. He indeed remained vigilant and refused to let anyone bring him down.


	12. The Tower is Restored

Now it came to be that the deep sleep Druaga had created all throughout Babylim had worn off, and the citizens of Babylim woke up to another sunny day.

The citizens walked through the streets. There were no Sumerian soldiers anywhere. Neither was Bahlarant or Lamia there. They were too busy grieving over the death of their sons. The people of Babylim were quite happy and wished to continue with their daily lives.

Gil was able to sleep in a normal bed the night of the demise of the Sumerian soldiers, and he woke up to the sun shining outside very brightly and the birds singing.

Gil made his way through the streets of Babylim. There were plenty of natives of Babylim in the streets, but no Sumerian soldiers. He was able to go to the marketplace and buy food.

He later took a walk through the woods located to the east of the city. This is where Kuma the woodsman dwelt. Kuma was an old man. He had no family, but he liked it like that because he could concentrate on observing nature. His home was a wooden house.

Gil walked inside, seeing Kuma himself clad in green. He was sitting down at his desk, working on an item that Gil had no clue what it was.

"Greetings, Kuma," said Gil.

"Oh, it's Gilgamesh!" he said. "I always love seeing you. Have you heard about the tower?"

"No thanks. I'll find out for myself."

"I've got something to offer to you." Kuma showed Gil what he was working on. It was a charm in the shape of a sun. "This is a good luck charm. It is said that if it is used at the right time and at the right place, you will get your way. But be careful when using it."

"Okay," said Gil.

"Thanks." Kuma handed the charm to Gil. "I won't charge you anything for it."

Gil went home and told Arzu about his walk.

"Arzu!" he said. "The Sumerian soldiers are gone, and Bahlarant has gone back to Sumer! I can finally go outside again without having to worry about breaking my back from work! I even went all the way to the woods to see Kuma."

"I agree," said Arzu. "However, this is not the time to rejoice. I sense that evil still lingers in the world. The Sumerian soldiers may be defeated, but Bahlarant has yet to be defeated."

"Oh yeah," said Gil.

"I have a plan. But don't tell anyone else but me and Ki. One of these days, I plan to go personally to the city of Sumer and negotiate with the emperor. I will tell him to leave Babylim to its own people. We need to govern ourselves."

"Bahlarant won't give up Babylim for anything," said Gil. "And once the emperor and his wife are done moping over the deaths of their sons, they'll make us build something even worse, like a giant monument to his 'glory' or something like that."

"I know," said Arzu.

"Before I go, you can have this charm." Gil handed Arzu the charm. "It is said that when used correctly, you can get your way."

"Thank you."

Gil met up with Ki, who was given a break from her shrine duties that day.

"Hello, Ki," said Gil.

"Hello," said Ki. "I'm glad that the emperor has left us alone – for now, at least."

"Arzu had told me something earlier."

"What is it?"

"She plans to go to the city of Sumer to talk to the emperor."

"I was wondering" said Gil, "what will happen to the tower? Will the people who built it try to destroy it?"

"Let's take a look at the tower right now," said Ki.

The two walked out of the city limits and saw that several dozen people had gathered around the tower, among them Ki's family. They were all looking up into the air.

"What's going on?" asked Gil.

"The tower has been restored," said Nabu.

"I don't know how," said Siris. "Maybe the hard work paid off after all. The tower looks as lofty and mighty as ever. But I don't know who rebuilt it."

"Maybe it was the gods who did it."

"It could very well have been."

Gil and Ki looked up at the tower. It was soaring to just as high as it was when it had been completed, and the sun shined against the tower's bricks. It sure looked majestic above the ground.

The people of Babylim needed to report the restoration of the tower to Bahlarant and Lamia. They sent messengers to Sumer to tell the emperor of the good news. When the emperor and his wife had heard of the tower, they immediately made their way to Babylim. Once they walked over to the tower, they were mesmerized.

"I can't believe it!" said Bahlarant. "My tower has been restored! I never thought it would happen like this! I would love to know who was responsible for rebuilding the tower."

"It _must_ be the gods," said Lamia. "We need to celebrate this grand event. And right near the tower would be just the place."

People began going inside the tower and seeing if they could climb it. The people who made it to the top floor got a grand view of Babylim from the window at the zenith. They could see far into the distance.

"The view is beautiful," said Ki.

"I can see for miles from here," said Gil.

They looked on as the river was flowing into the horizon.

The next day, Bahlarant, in a highly unusual act of generosity, was to hold a party in Babylim. This party was to commemorate the restoration of the tower.

The people began to celebrate. There party in Babylim was that night. They got dressed up in fancy clothing, set lanterns around the bazaar, and used the meeting hall as a ballroom.

The party was a roaring success. There was dancing, games, food, and jokes. The people were quite happy. They would talk about it well after it was over.

Gil and Ki went together to the party. Gil wore a green shirt with brass buttons, matching pants, and a cape. Ki wore a long pink dress and a tiara with laurel leaves in it. When they went to the party, they first went to the table of honor.

Though the party was for everyone, there were guards in front of the table of honor, which was in the middle. They were going to see who was able to eat at the table of honor and who was not.

Ki was offered a seat there due to her being a priestess, but Gil wasn't allowed to sit with her, so they went to eat in the dining hall, which was held in a building next to the meeting hall.

Gil and Ki were given a table of honor in the middle of the dining hall. The two were presented with an exquisite dinner of chicken, lamb, fish, rice, pitas, vegetables, lentil soup, hummus, and milk.

While they were eating, the two talked.

"Are you having fun?" asked Gil.

"I sure am," said Ki.

"The food is very good," said Gil. He took a pita and ripped it, giving one half to Ki. "I am so glad I don't have to eat that stuff called 'cabbage soup' that the Sumerian soldiers gave me when I was working on the tower."

"I agree. It must have tasted nasty."

"It's quite a good night to dance."

"Would you like to?"

"Once I'm done, I'll be happy to!"

When Gil and Ki were done with their dinner, they got a dessert of fresh fruit and sweets. The sweets were confections in the shape of red squares and coated with sugar. After this, they got up and danced. The sound of lutes, flutes, lyres, and drums filled the air. The music played was elegant, and Gil and Ki danced for over an hour – until they were worn out.

Later, the two went to the bazaar. They bought clothing, jewelry, and knick-knacks. Ki particularly liked the long green dress that Gil picked out for her and the matching shoes. She said that she hoped she could wear it as her wedding dress one day.

When it was all over, Gil went to the shop where he and Arzu were staying. They had avoided going to the palace since it was to be a home to Bahlarant and Lamia. The shopkeeper was glad to have them in, as he had no visitors from Babylim; just Sumer.

"How was the party?" Arzu asked.

"It was great," said Gil. "I haven't felt this alive in months. It was a breath of fresh air after all the grueling work we had to do on that tower."

"How were the emperor's guards?"

"They were pretty mean," said Gil. "I saw the guards inspecting people to see if they would be able to sit at the table of honor. Ki was allowed, but I wasn't."

"That's bad. But, what can we do about it? Bahlarant is judgmental. He looks down on people like me and you. Did you see Bahlarant himself?"

"No. He didn't even show up at the party. I wonder why?"

This peace lasted for about a week, but then Druaga saw that the people of Babylim enjoying the defeat of the Sumerians by Anu. At once, he was completely disgusted.

"Shit!" said Druaga. "The people of Babylim are _enjoying_ themselves? Well, no more! Tomorrow I'm going to mess up their peace by telling them that I stole the Blue Crystal Rod!"


	13. A World in Darkness

Druaga, enraged by the peace, wanted to send messengers out to the people to tell them the bad news. But first, he needed to remind Bahlarant to be stronger and harsher in his rule over Babylim. Druaga got help – in the form of Zeresh. She admired Druaga's plans for world domination.

"Lord of Darkness," said Zeresh as she approached Druaga. "I am a citizen of Sumer, and I support your decision to oppress Babylim. I will remind the emperor of your plans."

"Good," said Druaga. "I will give you this scroll." He handed Zeresh a scroll. Then, he dressed her in a black mantle. To escape detection, Druaga bestowed the power of invisibility upon her.

It was yet another nice day. The weather was warm and the flowers bloomed beautifully. Many people in the city of Sumer were in the marketplace, buying and selling goods. The birds flew through the air and sang loudly.

Suddenly, once the clock struck twelve, a dark ship appeared. This ship was not very big, but it looked fearful. It had a dragon's head, many oars, and a flag depicting the face of Druaga. The people who saw the ship ran away in terror. This ship was the ship that Zeresh would take so she could speak to the emperor.

Zeresh arrived, by then no longer invisible, and knocked on the gates of the palace.

"What do you want?" asked the guard. Then he stared at Zeresh's black mantle. She looked quite mysterios. The guard was unaware that she was really the one who helped Bahlarant plan the invasion.

"I am here to see His Imperial Highness, Bahlarant the Seventh, and the fair Empress Lamia. They have an important message that I must deliver to them."

"Okay," said the guard. "Come on in."

Zeresh took several steps towards the throne. Bahlarant was sitting in the royal throne, wearing an unsightly bronze horned helmet and a white tunic over his blue clothing. Lamia, as usual, was by his side. She was clad in a long pink gown with slits to expose her legs. The couple was being fanned by two veiled female slaves.

"So, I stand before the emperor himself," said Zeresh.

"Who are you," said Bahlarant.

"It's me," said Zeresh. "Zeresh, the one who helped you defeat Babylim."

"It's you," said Bahlarant. "I am glad to see you in my presence once more."

"I have a message of the utmost importance for you." Zeresh handed the emperor a scroll, which was the letter Druaga had given her. "It is a letter to you from a certain someone whose name you will find out in it."

Bahlarant took the scroll, and with no delay, he unraveled the scroll and he and Lamia read it.

_To His Imperial Highness, Bahlarant the Seventh, Emperor of Sumeria,_

_I have arisen from the void and rebuilt the tower that your slaves had built. I do not want to cause any harm to you, for you are a wise ruler. I pity what has become of your beloved sons, Namtar and Erra. I have stolen the Blue Crystal Rod from the very heavens and used it on the tower where I reside. It is now the Tower of Druaga. Anyway, you are being too lenient on the people of Babylim. You have got to make those people pay – by putting them in slavery once more. I will then send agents to ensure that no one revolts. With your help, we can take over the world! But first, you_ _must promise me to be harsher to the people of Babylim. I cannot reveal myself to you in person at this time of day, so I sent a messenger to drop this scroll off at your palace._

_-Druaga, Lord of Darkness_

"Lamia," said Bahlarant. "This is the perfect idea! That Druaga is onto something! We will make the people of Babylim slaves once again! They will do whatever I say."

"Right," said Lamia. "Those morons will be begging for mercy once we're through with them."

"And then will Babylim pay for the deaths of our sons!"

"We will finally be able to rejoice!"

The couple laughed wickedly.

Zeresh then hastily made her way back to the Tower of Druaga. She told Druaga that the emperor and his wife had agreed to his plans for enslavement of the people of Babylim.

"Victory is mine!" exclaimed Druaga. "Now I can use my powers to spread evil throughout this filthy world!" Druaga held up the Blue Crystal Rod and caused storm clouds to take shape in the sky. A mist engulfed the tower. The people of Babylim began to panic again.

They heard Druaga's voice coming from the tower. "People of Babylim," he said. "It is I, Druaga! I have arisen from the darkness. The Blue Crystal Rod and your tower are _mine_ now! That means no going in! Now you will be slaves to the Sumerian emperor. To make sure of this, I will send agents to run the city and they will give you jobs! Just wait right here. Have a nice day! HA HA!"

The people of Babylim lost their heads completely.

Later, Druaga's agents that he promised to send appeared to the people. They were clad in black mantles and were invisible except for their green eyes. One of them, instead of the usual plain mantle, wore a mantle that was black and red. He was the same messenger that delivered the scroll to Bahlarant.

The agent with the red in his mantle spoke. "We are agents of Druaga," he said. "Now, you will all have jobs for us." He then divided the people into various sections. "Some of you people are to keep your jobs. But some will work at the palace, on building projects, or on the tower. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," said the people of Babylim.

In a flash of smoke, the agent vanished.

Meanwhile, in heaven, Anu had gotten extremely disappointed with the way that the humans have acted. He had grown disgusted of humanity in general and decided to ignore them.

"If I ignore the humans," he said, "they will just try to destroy themselves and start wars. Then they will be begging for mercy. But I will not be there for them. I am so upset with they way they are behaving."

This gave way for Druaga to take over the world.

Meanwhile, the Sumerian Empire continued its vicious campaign over kingdoms that were in its way. To the north of Babylim, the kingdom of Assur fell. North of Assur, the kingdom of Haran fell. To the south, the kingdom of Maka fell. To the east of Persis, the kingdom of Kerman was conquered. The Sumerian Empire was now a vast empire, bordering Kemet in the west, Tarsus in the north, Sheba in the south, and India in the east.

Indeed, all of the Sumerian Empire was now in darkness. People were miserable with their rigorous work, and there were conflicts between them. Several of the Sumerian Empire's provinces, among them Persis, Elam, and Assur, rebelled. The world was falling into massive chaos.


	14. Enslavement of Gil

During this dark time, there was not much hope for anyone. The chief messenger took the guise of an Akkynd Knight, the highest rank in the Sumerian army, and made sure people were kept in their places. The other messengers continued to be clad in their mantles.

They were having a discussion amongst themselves at the base of the Tower of Druaga.

"We are doing great," said one of the messengers.

"The people are at their knees" said another messenger. "Druaga is so proud of us!"

"Wait!" said a voice.

"Who is this?" asked the chief messenger.

The voice turned out to be Zeresh. "It is I, Zeresh!" she said. "I agree with Druaga's plans to take this filthy world from the humans. We still need to do something about a certain someone…"

"Who are you talking about?" asked the chief messenger.

"There is one more person we have to worry about. One person that I have come to the conclusion that he may pose the biggest threat to us. That person is none other than Prince Gilgamesh. He may try to take the kingdom back for himself and his own selfish desires get in the way."

The messengers nodded their heads in agreement.

While this was going on, Gil decided to go visit Ki. He walked over to the temple of Ishtar. He was greeted by the shrine warden. Gil asked to see Ki. The shrine warden agreed and let him in.

Gil greeted Ki, and they began talking. While they were doing this, Gil had a question for Ki.

"Ki," asked Gil, "are you keeping your faith in the gods in this time? It's hard for me to do, and everyone else seems to be so miserable they have forgotten."

"Of course I have," said Ki. "I have to. After all, I'm a shrine maiden."

"I wish I could be like you. You seem to be spared from all of this."

"Believe me, I feel empty as well."

"I'm afraid that I will be made a slave too," said Gil.

All of a sudden, the messengers, who had taken the form of Sumerian soldiers, entered the temple, with Zeresh in front of them. They unsheathed their swords to arouse fear in Gil and Ki. They approached the two.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Gil.

"I am Zeresh," said Zeresh. "I have helped to plan the invasion that toppled your kingdom. I am now in the service of Druaga."

"So," said Ki, "it was you who helped Bahlarant defeat Babylim!"

"You're damn right, girl," said Zeresh.

"We're looking for Gilgamesh," said the chief messenger.

"What do you want me for?" asked Gil, flinching.

"After discussing by the tower, we have decided to make Gilgamesh a slave of the Sumerian Empire. The tower's base has a missing brick in it and we need him to put it back in place."

"I'm not going to repair the tower's base for you," said Gil.

"Too late!" said Zeresh. "You are going to the Tower of Druaga right now and you are going to fix the tower's base. I won't take no for an answer!"

The messengers sheathed their swords and grabbed Gil. He began screaming and tried to break free by flailing his arms and legs.

"Let go!" he cried. But the messengers wouldn't let go.

Ki tried to help release Gil from the messengers' grasp, but she was not strong enough to grab him. The messengers began to drag Gil out of the temple.

"Help me!" he cried.

Zeresh and the messengers took Gil to their base, where they reverted to their hooded forms. The chief messenger reported back to the tower, where he was rewarded by Druaga for capturing Gil. The messengers took away Gil's expensive clothes and made him wear rags. They took him to the tower, which was his workplace once again.

Gil was forced to drag heavy bricks along the bottom of the tower, often many feet from where they started. Thunder roared in the sky and made Gil unwilling to do the work. However, he was forbidden to question the work, for if he did, the messengers would whip him. He received a good deal of scars from the whippings.

"Can't you just do it yourself?" asked Gil. "You shady beings seem to have magic, considering that you change your forms at times."

"NO!" said the messengers. They whipped him some more.

Gil was forced to work harder and harder every day that past. At first, he only had to drag one large brick to the base, but then he had to drag whole sections to the base. It was painful work, and Gil ended up hopeless in this time.

On the third week, Gil was dragging along a whole section of bricks to the front of the tower. His hands were already red and his feet were blistered, but the messengers made him push on. This day was a particularly sweltering day, with the sun's rays trying to penetrate through the seemingly eternal storm clouds.

As Gil dragged the section of bricks to its base, he felt a painful sensation going through his veins. Yet he pushed forward, placing the section of bricks into the tower. After he did this, he felt even more pain. He fell to the ground, wallowing around in pain.

"OWWWWWW!" he screamed. "HELP! THIS IS SO #$%*#%# PAINFUL! I DON'T THINK I CAN MOVE MUCH LONGER!"

The messengers whipped and scolded Gil. "Quit your whining and get back to work!" they snapped.

Gil went to the top of the base. As he plodded up the steps, he faltered and fell down to the ground. This was too much for him to bear. This fall had knocked him unconscious.

"Well," said the chief messenger, "it looks like this is the end for Gilgamesh. Do you think we whipped him too hard?"

"No," said Zeresh. "He deserved it!"

The messengers began to snicker.

Gil lay unconscious at the bottom of the steps for a few hours. After this, Arzu went looking for him. She arrived at the tower only to see Gil lying lifeless. She went over to him to check his body for life.

"Hmm…no breathing," said Arzu, checking Gil's mouth. She then gave Gil a light whack on the shoulder. "And there's no reflex." Finally, she picked up his wrist and checked his pulse. "Oh my! He's still alive! It's just a coma. Still, I must bring Gil to the hospital before it's too late!"

Arzu grabbed Gil and carried him to the hospital in the city. It was hard work, considering how large Gil was, but she hurried and got him back before it got too dark to see.

Arzu told Ki about Gil's blackout, and that night she rushed to the hospital. The hospital was a large stone building located in the southwest of the city. Ki sat down in the waiting room. From there, she was called in to see Gil.

Ki went to the room where Gil was lying down in. She saw Gil in a coma. There were bandages across his head, elbows, and legs. He was clad in a simple white tunic. He looked quite peaceful.

"Gil," she said, "it's me, Ki. I came to visit you. Your sister brought you here. She hopes that you will awaken from your coma. But in the meantime, I would like to help you get better."

She stroked Gil's hair and put a warm cloth on it. The cloth was supposed to help him feel better. Then Ki found a healing potion on the counter. She opened Gil's mouth and fed it to him. This would not completely heal him, but could hopefully make his recovery quicker. Within minutes, Gil began to look better. Nevertheless, he was still comatose.

Ki exited Gil's room and saw Arzu and a mysterious woman sitting in the waiting room. She was clothed in a pink dress and a shawl. Her blonde hair stuck out through the shawl. She was reading a book.

"Hello," said Ki. "I'm Ki. My friend, Gil, is lying in a coma in one of the rooms. Are you here to visit someone who is ill?"

"No one in particular," said the woman. "But I've heard so much about Gil. He seems like an amazing person. Too bad he's fallen into a coma."

"He is. I have been in love with him for a while now. Anyway, who are you?"

"This is Zahra," said Arzu. "We have become acquainted when I went to Sumer on the day of my parents' execution. She was once a priestess for the Sumerian Empire. But because she opposed Bahlarant's evil deeds, he raided the temple at Sumer a few days ago. This was supported by Druaga due to his war against the gods."

"How will we get it back?" asked Ki.

"Arzu and I will go to Sumer," said Zahra. "If you want, you can come with us."

"Sorry," said Ki. "I'd love to, but I have more important things to do. I must take care of Gil and hope that he wakes up. I also need to resume my duties as a shrine maiden tomorrow."

"Very well, then," said Arzu.

Ki left the hospital and made her way back home. When she got home, she saw that Nabu and Siris were fast asleep – after all, it was near midnight. However, Shala was awake. Ki went into their room and sat on her bed.

"Is Gil going to be all right?" asked Shala.

"He will be, I hope," said Ki. "He needs more rest. Then, maybe, he will wake up from his trance."

"I hope so as well.."

"Today I met up with his sister. She brought along a friend by the name of Zahra. She was once a priestess of the Sumerian Empire, but she's here now for going against the emperor."

"That was terrible."

"Arzu said that she and Zahra are eventually going to go personally to the capital so they can talk to Bahlarant and Lamia."

"It will be hard to negotiate with him."

"I know. Yet we must do something about it."

"I'm feeling tired."

"I guess we should go to sleep now."

Ki got into bed and fell asleep.


	15. Ki Meets Ishtar

The next morning, Ki woke up to yet another dark day.

"It has been like this for a while now," she said. "It seems like the world has completely transformed in a matter of six months."

Ki got dressed in her shrine gear and made her way to the temple of Ishtar.

The temple was empty as usual, for the people of Babylim have become hopeless and had forgotten their service to the gods. Yet Ki remained devout in her shrine duties and continued to offer up prayers to the goddess Ishtar.

Today, instead of writing on strips of paper, Ki brought in a scroll to work on and a pen with it to write. She sat down at a table and began to write on the scroll in the holy script.

_To Ishtar, Goddess of Love,_

_This is a prayer to you. I am the only one in all of Babylim who is continuing their devotion to you and the other gods. The other people have lost all hope since Anu had abandoned them. Now, in such a dark time, I would like to request help. I need to find a way to stop the demon Druaga before he causes more pain and suffering. I really hope that you can give me the help that I need. I would also like my friend, Gilgamesh, to recover from his coma. If you help me, I will promise to return Babylim to peace._

_Your devoted Shrine Maiden, Ki_

Once Ki finished the scroll, she placed it on the altar and hoped that Ishtar would answer her prayers. However, she could expect a long wait, since Anu had abandoned the humans on earth.

Ki was nearly asleep after about an hour of waiting, when all of a sudden she was awoken by the sound of a beautiful voice.

"Come here," the voice said gently.

Ki woke up and found herself before an incredibly beautiful woman. She was very tall. She had long, graceful blonde hair that swayed as she moved. On her head was set a silver tiara decorated with jewels. She wore gold bracelets around her arms. She was clad in a long, silvery dress with teal streamers along a golden belt. She wore copper-colored high heels on her feet. Ki stared at her and knew that this woman was the goddess Ishtar.

Ki was flabbergasted. She never expected the goddess to appear in front of her own eyes.

"Ki," said Ishtar, "it is I, Ishtar, goddess of love. I have come to help you in this bleak time."

"Thank you…for…answering my prayers." Ki was stuttering, for she could not believe her eyes.

"I will give you instructions on what to do," said Ishtar.

Ki happily propped herself off the ground and came closer to Ishtar. It was still very hard for Ki to get over the fact that Ishtar had appeared before her, but she decided to get used to it, for Ishtar had a lot to offer.

"Ishtar," said Ki, "what do you want me to do for you?"

"I have something to tell you."

"Is it good? I hope that it is."

"It is more so a serious matter than good," said Ishtar. "Babylim has been captured and Druaga has stolen the Blue Crystal Rod, but it shall not be that way forever."

"What do you mean?"

"There is a way to liberate Babylim," said Ishtar.

Ki was confused. "How? I don't know when or if that will happen."

"You can do it – but you will need my help."

"Okay. Tell me."

"First," said Ishtar, "you must make your way to the Tower of Druaga. From there you must ascend the tower and make it to the top floor. There you will find the Blue Crystal Rod. Take it and you will be protected from Druaga and his monsters. Then get out of the tower and report back with the Rod. I will seal Druaga away once more, and peace will be restored. However, I'd like you to be very careful. If you're not, you will end up imprisoned by Druaga himself."

"I will," said Ki. "But how will I be able to make it to the top? As a shrine maiden, I can't fight, and since I've heard that monsters have been entering the tower, there's no hope."

"You won't be able to fight until you get to the top of the tower. However, I do have something that you can use." Ishtar reached behind her back and pulled out a tiara with a red jewel. She gave it to Ki.

"This tiara," said Ishtar, "contains the power to make you lighter than air. You will be able to jump over those monsters and make your way to the top of the tower. Just be careful not to hit the ceiling, or it will hurt."

"I accept your offer," said Ki. "I'll make my way to the Tower of Druaga and get the Blue Crystal Rod back! Thank you, Ishtar! I will go immediately to see you once I have the Rod back from Druaga!"

"Good luck, Ki!" said Ishtar.

Ki left the temple and made her way to the Tower of Druaga. There was a mist surrounding the tower in the distance. It cleared up, showing the great tower in all its glory. Ki looked up to the top floor.

"Well," she said, "it's time to take back the Blue Crystal Rod from Druaga and save Babylim."

And so begins the quest of Ki…


	16. The Quest of Ki

Ki entered the tower and looked around. The tower's interior was made up of labyrinthine mazes, for Druaga had used the magic of the Blue Crystal Rod to create labyrinths on each floor. The walls were made of bricks, and some of them were lit by candles. The tower was suspiciously quiet.

"Who's in there?" said Ki.

She walked around for a while, through the winding mazes. She took many steps through the tower floor until her feet got tired. Then, she saw something that was surprising. It was a key floating in an orb. Ki touched the orb. Her hand went right through it. This enabled her to grab the key.

"The key is here!" said Ki. "Now I can advance to the next floor!"

Ki saw that the door was located nearby. She walked up to it, used the key to open the door, and exited the floor. While she was going upstairs, she heard Ishtar's voice.

"Ki," she said. "Beware of the dangers that lie ahead. There are many enemies living in the tower. But there is a plus. It is said that there are ways to get to the top of the tower faster."

The second floor wasn't so straightforward. On this floor, Ki heard the sounds of footsteps and the swooping of wings. She strolled through the mazes for a while, but she found nothing to be hiding. Then, all of a sudden, a mysterious figure rushed right at her. Ki could not see it, for it moved too fast.

"What was that?" said Ki.

Ki followed the creature to a candle and was able to see it in the light. It was a hideous humanoid creature, with huge fangs and violet-colored hair covering its body. The hair covered its eyes. Ki knew that this creature was called a vampire.

The vampire sensed Ki and made a run for her. Ki froze at first, but when the vampire was about to make it to her and attack, Ki made a leap and flew into the air. She was using the magic of the tiara.

Ki used the tiara to soar through the air and to help her reach the key without touching any enemies. She managed to get the key and exited the second floor.

The third floor was even tougher. There was not one vampire, but two. The pair chased after Ki. But then she realized that at times, they made a wrong turn and did not understand that they did. Ki was able to make them crash into a wall, where they bumped their heads. Ki then rushed as quickly as she could to the key, grabbed it, and ran for the door. She exited the floor unscathed.

The fourth floor looked easier than the previous one, but there was a large bat swooping around. Ki figured that it would be best that she didn't run into it. She managed to avoid it until she picked up the key, but then she saw that the bat was following her. Ki rushed to the door and made it out.

The fifth floor had slimes hopping around. There were also things that looked like sea urchins crawling on the ground. Ki had heard about these. The ones in the tower were unable to be killed by weapons. Ki saw one coming for her. Quickly, she jumped over it.

"Those things look pretty dangerous," said Ki. "It would be best that I avoid them, unless I really want to get poisoned and die."

Ki made her way to the key and was able to leave the floor.

The sixth floor was even scarier. There were loads of slimes and vampires of a rainbow of colors wandering around the floor. There were also ogres: huge humanoid creatures. They wore only pairs of undergarments and wielded tridents. They would block the way of any intruders.

Ki was not sure if she'd make it. But she decided to press onward and managed to find the key. With this, she was able to exit the floor.

When Ki entered the seventh floor, Ki saw Ishtar again.

"Ki," said Ishtar, "There is a treasure that you must look out for. It is a magical feather. If you find one, you'll be able to float indefinitely as long as you don't hit the ceiling."

"Thanks, Ishtar," said Ki.

"Along the way you might find a dragon. He is a friendly dragon known as Quox. He will assist you in going up the tower."

"Okay," said Ki.

Ki began to move. There were ropers everywhere. These were creatures with many tentacles. They came in a variety of colors, and their names were determined by the color of their tentacles. Ropers could use their tentacles to strangle you.

While Ki was walking, a Green Roper grabbed her. She struggled to let it go, but it wouldn't let her go. She saw that there was a box nearby. She tried to kick it closer to her. Then the roper was bitten by a bat, and Ki was able to break free. She grabbed the box and found a feather.

Within seconds, Ki was soaring through the air, safe from the enemies. She found the key, took it, and used it to exit the floor.

The eighth floor had more slimes and vampires. When Ki started to walk, she found that a venomous snake was slithering at her feet. Ki leapt into the air and flew over the snake. She then flew over all the slimes and vampires. While she was hovering, she found the key tied to the ceiling. She grabbed it and landed on the ground. She opened the door and left.

The ninth floor was pretty easy. There were bats flying along the ceiling, but Ki avoided them by not jumping. She was able to quickly get the key and exit the floor.

The tenth floor was not so easy. There were more snakes and vampires. Ki jumped into the air and hovered over them, but then a gang of ropers appeared. The ropers gave chase, and Ki had to lure them into a trap where there was a lion statue. The lion statue ignited and destroyed the ropers. Ki found the key inside the statue. She grabbed it and exited the floor.

Then Ki made it to the eleventh floor. She heard wings flapping, but they were not bat wings. These sounded like dragon wings. Ki strolled through the mazes to investigate. She then ran into Quox the Dragon.

"Who are you?" asked Quox.

"I am Ki," said Ki. "I am the shrine maiden of Ishtar."

"I am Quox, the dragon who lives in this tower. Druaga has been causing a lot of problems lately and has shut off the tower to the world. How did you get here?"

"I was assigned by Ishtar to retrieve the Blue Crystal Rod."

"Then have you heard of the secret passageways in the tower?"

"Ishtar hinted at it," said Ki.

"Well, you've found one! This one will take you up eight floors – to the 19th floor! Each warp will get you to a higher floor. That way, you can get to the 60th floor in very little time."

"I'm up to it."

"I will accompany you," said Quox.

"Sure," said Ki.

Ki got closer to Quox. Next thing they knew, they warped off the floor.


	17. Up the Tower

At the hospital in Babylim, Gil was finally able to wake up from his coma. He sat up and yawned loudly. "Where am I?" he asked. He looked around. He found Arzu standing in the doorway.

"You're in the hospital," she said.

"How long have I been in a coma?" Gil asked.

"You have been comatose for About a day," said Arzu. "Not too bad."

"Where's Ki?"

"Last I saw of her was last night, that she nursed you back to health. She was very good to you. Does your injury still bother you?"

"It does a little," said Gil. "I will be able to get up and leave."

"Okay," said Arzu. "Good luck with that!" She left the room.

After about five minutes, Gil was wondering where Ki was. Then, suddenly, Gil saw someone before him. It was none other than Ishtar.

Gil was awestruck. "Ishtar," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Gil," said Ishtar, "I have appealed to Anu to make humanity my responsibility."

"Okay," said Gil, "so where is Ki?"

"Ki has gone to the Tower of Druaga to recover the Blue Crystal Rod from Druaga. If she succeeds, you can expect to see her again soon."

"I hope she makes it."

"I hope so, too." Ishtar vanished.

Meanwhile, Ki and Quox found themselves on the nineteenth floor of the Tower of Druaga. This floor looked like there were no enemies around. However, there were spells shooting everywhere.

"How will we be able to know who is casting those spells?" asked Quox.

"We need to find a source of light," said Ki

Ki and Quox looked around for a candle. They couldn't use the ones sitting on the walls, but needed to find one in a chest. At last, they found a treasure chest located in the corner of the room. Ki opened the chest to reveal a candle. She held on to it and it allowed her to see the casters of the spells. The casters turned out to be ghosts. The ghosts were flying through the room in robes of various colors.

"We'd better avoid them," said Quox.

The two left the ghosts alone and found the key. They used the key to go to the next floor.

The twentieth floor was full of ropers. The ropers at once chased Ki and Quox. Quox was able to fight the ropers off with his claws. Quox's attacking the enemies enabled Ki to focus on getting the key. She found it located below the candle of one of the walls. She picked it up and met up with Quox.

"Thanks for fighting off the enemies," said Ki.

"No problem," said Quox.

"Let's exit the floor."

They went upstairs.

The twenty-first floor had more ghosts, and also some magicians, clad in various robes depending on the spells they cast. The magicians teleported across the room. Ki could not jump over them and soar in the air, so she hid behind Quox for defense. They managed to find the key and exited the floor.

The twenty-second floor was pretty straightforward. There were a number of slimes, but not too many challenging enemies. Ki and Quox just made it for the key and went upstairs.

Before they went to the twenty-third floor, they found Ishtar again.

"I have some advice," said Ishtar. "After the 28th floor, the enemies will get harder and more numerous. Your best bet is to find more secret passageways to get to the top quicker. Just a few of them will take you all the way to the 58th floor."

Ki and Quox nodded their heads in agreement.

This floor was quite hard. There were many enemies of all sorts, and there were too many for Quox to fight off. He told Ki to use the magic of her tiara to get her out of the floor. Ki leapt over the monsters, barely missing a few of them, and made it to the key. She was able to grab it. She and Quox fled the floor before anything else could happen.

The twenty-fourth floor was much like the twenty-second; straightforward and with not too many enemies. Ki and Quox managed to avoid them. The pair got the key and went to the next floor without injury.

The twenty-fifth floor had many vampires, snakes, and bats. As usual, Quox would fight off the monsters, while Ki would go get the key. After they did this, they exited the floor.

The twenty-sixth floor had even more bats, as well as a multitude of slimes. These slimes even cast spells. Quox, being a dragon, had a good defense against magic, so he fought the slimes. Ki found the key hidden by a bunch of slimes. Quox cut through the slimes so Ki could reach the key. Ki grabbed the key, and she and Quox made it out of the floor.

The pair made their way to the twenty-seventh floor.

"Whoa," said Quox. "Only one more floor to go and then we will get up the tower mostly by warping between floors."

This floor was another floor that was infested with "land urchins". These land urchins were of great annoyance and there was no way for Quox to kill them. They chased the pair, but then there were so many, the land urchins crashed into a wall. This gave the opportunity for Ki to get the key and make it out of the floor.

Ki and Quox made it to the next floor.

"Yes!" said Ki. "The start of our warping to the top!"

"Not so fast, Ki," said Quox. "We still have to find out where this secret passageway is. We should look around the floor."

The two looked for the entrance to the passage. At first, they had no success. But then Ki found a peculiar statue. This statue was made of lightweight material. Ki pushed aside the statue and saw a staircase. Ki and Quox went up the stairs. A wall appeared behind them.

"Well," said Ki, "it looks like the trip down the tower will be longer."

After climbing up many stairs, Ki and Quox found themselves on the thirty-seventh floor. This floor had a whole colony of bats on the ceilings. At once they started swarming. Ki tried to duck, but the bats surrounded her.

"Damn!" she said.

Quox found a spot on the floor that glowed. "Ki!" he said. "Come here! I think I found another warp point!"

"Good," said Ki, "but help me get rid of these bats!"

Ki crawled over. Quox fought off the bats and set Ki on his back. The two found another long staircase and made their way up.

This warped them all the way to the forty-fourth floor. This was a floor with many wizards. Ki jumped over the wizards and found a treasure chest. She opened it up. Instantly, she and Quox disappeared inside of it.

Now Ki and Quox were on the fifty-first floor. This was the floor with the last warp point. The pair looked around for a treasure chest. This floor had suspiciously few enemies. They found another treasure chest located in the center of the room. Ki opened it up and the pair vanished once more.

Ki and Quox found themselves on the fifty-eighth floor of the tower. There were only two more floors after this. This floor was packed with enemies.

"Druaga is near," said Quox. "I will help you fight these enemies, but after this floor, you are on your own. I'm terribly sorry. I was glad to help you make it to the top of the tower, though!"

"No problem," said Ki. "But why can't you come with me to retrieve the Blue Crystal Rod?"

"Druaga might capture me," said Quox. "However, once you have the Blue Crystal Rod within reach, you will be able to fight off Druaga. Just be careful. Druaga is pretty cunning. Goodbye and good luck!"

"Thank you, Quox!" said Ki.

Quox started to fight the enemies, leaving Ki to collect the key and exit the floor alone.

While Ki was making her way to the fifty-ninth floor, she saw Ishtar once again.

"Good job," said Ishtar. "You're almost to the Blue Crystal Rod! Just find the final key, go upstairs, and the Blue Crystal Rod will wait for you. It will ward off Druaga."

This floor didn't have as many enemies, so Ki was able to take it easy. Nevertheless, when they appeared, Ki would use the tiara's power to leap over them. She managed to get the final key and exit the floor.


	18. Ki is Captured

At last, Ki had made it to the sixtieth floor, the very top floor of the Tower of Druaga. She looked around the floor. The room was made up of a number of straight corridors rather than a huge labyrinth. Not a single enemy was roaming around. The room was very quiet.

Ki walked around and looked in a corridor. All of the corridors were empty, save for the middle one, which had a blue light shining at the end.

"What could that be?" said Ki.

She approached the blue light. She found that she was in the presence of the Blue Crystal Rod. It was sitting like it was in heaven, tall and in a holder. It looked majestic, and it shined brightly.

Ki gulped. "Well," she said. "Here I go to take this Rod and save the world."

Initially, Ki hesitated to touch the Blue Crystal Rod. She realized, though, that she needed to take it to liberate Babylim. So she let out her hand and touched the Rod. However, she did not get it…

All of a sudden, the Blue Crystal Rod began to flicker in various colors.

Ki was stunned. "What's going on here?" she said.

The Rod then divided itself into three separate rods: a Green Crystal Rod, a Red Crystal Rod, and the original Blue Crystal Rod. This puzzled Ki.

She reached for the blue rod. However, once she touched the rod, it and the other rods vanished. "What happened to the rods?" she said.

Ki looked behind her back to find eight mysterious hands hovering over her shoulders. The hands slowly approached her…

_ZAP!_

As soon as Ki heard a zap, she was knocked unconscious. Her form was then changed into that of a round stone with a familiar golden tiara around it.

"Ha ha ha ha! YES!" said a sinister voice.

This voice was none other than Druaga himself. He revealed his natural form in the light. He stood tall, with his hideous green skin, eight arms, four legs, and yellow eyes. He was laughing maniacally.

"I did it!" he exclaimed. "Now that Ki has been stopped before she could take the Blue Crystal Rod, I can take over the world! No one will be able to stop Druaga!" He laughed even harder. "Now…time to spread my evil across the tower and make it harder for the Blue Crystal Rod to be recovered."

Druaga initiated the enchantment the tower by bringing Quox the Dragon to the top floor. He struck Quox with a flash of magic – the same magic he had used to divide the Blue Crystal Rod into three – and divided him.

Now Quox the Dragon was evil and under Druaga's control. He was now able to breathe fire and break down walls, and his voice was taken away. He had split into three separate forms: his original green form, a silver form, and a black form. Each form was linked to a separate rod. All three forms were then multiplied and let loose in the tower. Only one dragon was the true Quox.

Druaga noticed that the Sumerian soldiers' remains still lay in the tower. This consisted of their armor and weapons. Their bodies, however, had decayed long before. To make up for this, Druaga used his magic to summon their spirits and set them in their armor. They were then enchanted and made to obey every order Druaga gave them. They were also set loose in the tower.

Now the tower was in true darkness…


	19. The Hooded Messenger

Back at the hospital, Gil was sitting down on his bed and relaxing. He was bewildered now, and wondered what he could do while Ki was getting the Blue Crystal Rod.

Eventually, he heard the sound of footsteps.

"Arzu?" Gil asked. "Is that you?" But there was no answer.

"That's peculiar."

Gil got up and closed the door. He then found a green shirt, a blue vest, and a pair of green pants, which Arzu had left for him. He got dressed and sat back down on the bed.

"I hope the owner of those footsteps will come," said Gil.

The footsteps grew louder and louder. After a while, the door was mysteriously opened. How could this have happened? The hospital had been quite silent up until then.

Gil found himself in the presence of a lone shadowy figure. The figure was tall, and it was wearing a white and orange mantle, topped by a hood. Gil was not able to figure out who this was. But from within the hood, a pair of green eyes glowed brightly, more so than those of the other messengers, and stared at Gil.

"Who are you?" asked Gil, "and what are you doing in the hospital? Wouldn't people notice you?"

"I cannot tell you my true identity, child," said the being. "However, I can tell you that I am an agent of Druaga, Lord of Darkness."

"Oh no!" said Gil.

"Gilgamesh," said the being, "or whoever you are…"

"Yes. It is me, Prince Gilgamesh, the son of the late King Marduk."

"Then I've gotten the right person. Anyway, I have some very important news to tell you. You know that your beloved Ki has gone to the Tower of Druaga to recover the Blue Crystal Rod? Well, she is no more! Druaga has caught Ki when she found herself in front of the Rod. It is now three separate rods, green, red, and blue, hidden within the tower. Ki has been transformed into stone and is being held captive on the 60th floor."

Gil fainted.

"Wake up!" said the being crassly.

"Sorry," said Gil. "Do go on."

"Gilgamesh," said the being, "there is still a way to defeat Druaga and save Ki. You must use the power and bravery of your sword. You also need armor blessed by the god Anu."

"How do I get it?" asked Gil.

"You can't get the armor in Babylim. Anu has abandoned the humans after Bahlarant ordered the attempt to steal the Blue Crystal Rod, resulting in the tower's destruction."

"That's terrible! There must be somewhere where this armor is located!"

"The armor lies beyond the boundaries of heaven, where the gods reside. They are not willing to get it, though. You must try to convince them to help you or you will be unable to defeat Druaga."

"Thanks," said Gil.

The shadowy figure disappeared.

"I feel all refreshed now," said Gil. "It's time to make my way to the temple of Ishtar and get the materials necessary to save Ki before it's too late!"


	20. Arzu's Letter

In the meantime, Arzu and Zahra decided to leave Babylim for Sumer. They boarded a boat, which took them downstream.

"Will this plan work?" said Zahra.

"It should," said Arzu. "I have a charm given to me by my brother. According to the man in the woods out east, this charm is good at convincing."

"Kuma? He's kind of wacky."

"I know," said Arzu. "Still, I think that I need to use this charm of Bahlarant and Lamia will cause more harm to our kingdom."

"I agree," said Zahra.

"Let's just focus on getting to the emperor in time."

"It's still dark out. I hope that the sun will come out eventually. Druaga has sure caused the weather to change. We rarely get storms."

"It's sad. But I was able to see Gil this morning. He's out of his coma! He feels much better. He was able to sit up straight again."

Soon, the ship carrying them arrived in Sumer. Arzu and Zahra got off the boat and into the city.

The city was busy today. People were going on with their lives. The marketplace was full of people. There was loud music playing within the taverns. There were bright lights all around, even within the shady buildings such as the impoverished houses and the brothels. This was to make up for the darkness that Druaga encased the Sumerian Empire and its provinces in.

The pair soon found themselves standing before the gates of the royal palace. As usual, there was a guard standing in the way. He was a rather ugly man with a hideous haircut.

"Halt!" yelled the guard. "Who goes there?"

"I am Arzu," said Arzu, "and this is Zahra."

"Not good enough," said the guard.

"We are messengers from the province of Babylim. We have come here to speak with His Imperial Highness and his fair consort. They are expecting us. We would like to see them now."

"We have an important message for him," said Zahra.

The guard stared at them for a while. Eventually, he opened his mouth.

"I suppose I can let you speak to them," he said. "However, I need you to pay me. No one is allowed to see the emperor now without paying up."

Zahra took out a small bag of gold and handed it to the guard. "Here you go," she said.

"Thank you," said the guard. "Come along." He opened the door.

Arzu and Zahra walked inside the palace.

As the two expected, they saw Bahlarant and Lamia sitting on their thrones. They looked very regal in their thrones. Bahlarant was wearing a winged helm, black clothing, a white tunic, and a velvet cape. Lamia was wearing a long blue dress, gold jewelry, hoop earrings, and a circle around her head decorated with jewels and ostrich plumes.

Arzu and Zahra approached the couple. They were quite nervous, knowing that both Bahlarant and Lamia had nasty tempers. But they would try to flatter them to win them over.

"Your Highness," said Zahra. "We are messengers of Babylim. We would like to have a word with you."

Bahlarant looked annoyed at first, but then he gave in to them. "Okay," he said. "Do go on."

"We have a message to bring to you," said Arzu.

"What kind of message?" Lamia asked.

"Oh…just a message," said Zahra. "It was written per request of Princess Arzu, who stands right before you. She is not here to ask you to put herself or her brother, Prince Gilgamesh, on the throne of Babylim."

"I would never do that to Your Highness," said Arzu. Her eyes rolled. She thought to herself. _What was I thinking? I can't believe that I have to lie to myself to get by this bastard and his wife!_

"I would like to see this message," said Bahlarant.

Zahra handed Bahlarant the message. It was a scroll, rolled up in a pink ribbon. Bahlarant opened the message and read it.

_Dear Your Imperial Highness, Bahlarant the Seventh, and the fair Empress Lamia,_

_We accept your rule over Babylim, but we would like to make you a favor: Can we watch over the city of Babylim for a couple of days? After that, you can do whatever you want with us. We need to have a little self-government. After all, that is what it is to be a province._

_Princess Arzu_

"Do you agree to the terms of this message?" said Zahra.

"Oh…all right!" said Bahlarant. "I hate to say it, but Arzu, you can watch over Babylim for about five days, and then I will once again be able to do whatever I want with you. Now, get out of my palace!"

"We need time for ourselves, too," said Lamia.

Immediately, Arzu and Zahra left the palace. They walked out, through the town and the various blocks, and all the way to the port which stowed the boats that were to travel upstream or downstream. Then they boarded the boat and watched as Sumer fell into the distance.

The boatman talked to them while they were going upstream.

"So," he said, "have you given the letter to the emperor?"

"We have," said Zahra.

"How was he?" the boatman asked.

"He was accepting of the letter," said Arzu. "But after that, he got pretty nasty. He told us to get out of the palace. Lamia then obnoxiously added that they need time for themselves."

"Oh," said the boatman.

After a while, Arzu and Zahra arrived back in Babylim, where they got off the ship and made their way to the town square.

"Well," said Zahra. "That was pretty easy – until Bahlarant and Lamia got nasty with us. I don't know what's up with them."

"Ignore them," said Arzu. "That's just how they are. People like that are born nasty and get progressively worse every time you see them. The emperor and his wife are already middle-aged, so they have had plenty of their lives ruined by their bad attitudes."

"That's right."

"It is. Let's go see where Gil is."


	21. Gil, the Golden Knight

While this was all happening, Gil went to the temple of Ishtar. He saw that the doors to the temple were closed, but they were still unlocked. He approached the doors, opened them, and went inside the temple.

Nobody was in the temple. It was very quiet. The table where Ki would normally write the strips to sacrifice to Ishtar was empty. There was nothing from one wall to the other and from the entrance to the statue of Ishtar.

"It's like a ghost town in here," said Gil. "Where could everyone possibly be?"

Gil made his way to the table and sat down. He took a strip of paper. He knew that he was not authorized to do this, nor was he able to take the time to write in the holy script, but he figured that the gods would help him in this sullen time.

Gil wrote down a message on the strip:

_To Ishtar, Goddess of Love,_

_I would like to request your divine advice. I may not be the shrine maiden, but I am a good friend of your shrine maiden, Ki. Ki has been caught by Druaga and he is now holding her captive in his tower. I seek urgent help. A mysterious messenger came to visit me earlier. It told me all about Ki's capture by Druaga. It said that there is armor that will enable me to venture within the Tower of Druaga and save my beloved Ki. Please, talk to Anu and tell him to give me a chance! I can't do it without you!_

_Yours Truly, Gilgamesh_

When Gil was finished writing this letter, he placed it on the altar of Ishtar. Then the statue's blue scepter began to glow. The message disappeared.

After a while, Gil saw that there was a flickering light. The light grew brighter and brighter. At last, the goddess Ishtar appeared right before his very eyes, as beautiful as ever.

"I have answered your prayers, Gil," said Ishtar. "I will provide you with the proper equipment."

"Where is it?" asked Gil.

"It is not ready yet," said Ishtar. "Anu must take time to prepare the armor."

"Thanks for answering my prayers."

"No problem. Druaga has caused enough chaos as it is. You must save Ki before anything worse happens. Once the armor is ready, you will be able to go to the Tower of Druaga."

"Do you have anything ready for me now?"

Ishtar reached behind her back and held out a sword. It was a shining white sword with a golden handle.

She handed it to Gil. "This sword," said Ishtar, "will be able to subdue any monsters that lie within the tower."

"Thank you," said Gil.

The statue's scepter began to flicker.

"Now then," said Ishtar, "the armor is ready. Come with me to the storage room."

Gil and Ishtar entered the storage room. It was quite dark in there, but Gil could make out a few pillars located at the sides of the room.

Once the door behind them was close, Ishtar used the power of her scepter to light up the room.

"Thanks for the light," said Gil.

"No problem," said Ishtar. "Look here!"

Ishtar started to wave her scepter in the air. A blue light appeared in front of her. She then struck it with the scepter. Instantly, the light faded away and in its place was a set of armor. The armor was quite lovely. In addition, there was a helmet, a set of gauntlets, a pair of boots, and a shield. It was all in a shade of gold.

"Wow!" said Gil. "This armor is most impressive! I give you many thanks for the armor. I can use the sword to defeat Druaga. The armor will protect me from the enemies inside the tower."

"I am glad you are impressed," said Ishtar.

"Now," said Gil, "I will change into the armor. Can you help me put it on?"

"Of course!"

Ishtar helped Gil put on his magic armor.

Once they were done, Gil and Ishtar left the room. They found themselves back in the temple. Gil handed the sword to Ishtar. She then propped herself on the altar and stood up.

"With this sword," said Ishtar, "I dub thee, Gilgamesh, the Golden Knight." She tapped Gil's shoulder lightly and handed the sword back to him.

"Thank you," said Gil. "I will do my duty wisely."

"I know you will. I have faith in you"

Gil blushed.

Ishtar sat herself down on the altar. "Before you go," she said, "I have some advice and warnings for you to listen to about the Tower of Druaga."

"I'm all ears," said Gil.

"I can't do everything for you in the tower," said Ishtar. "but I will help you with some of its secrets. On almost every floor, there will be one or two treasures for you to find. I have provided you with a manual that lists the methods of getting some of the easier treasures. It's short though – it only covers the floors up to the 30th floor. Sadly, I am unaware of the harder reveal methods. You may find a way, though. You seem to be pretty clever. Even so, this will be vital to your journey if it is used wisely."

Ishtar handed Gil a plain satchel, which could be used to hold items. She inserted the treasure manual. "This satchel will hold infinite amounts of items," she added.

"After each floor," said Ishtar. "I will award you with a Spirit Crystal – right up to when you face Druaga. These crystals will make you stronger."

"I need that," said Gil.

"Be wary," said Ishtar. "The Blue Crystal Rod has been divided into three. All three are hidden within the Tower of Druaga. You _must_ collect all three; otherwise, Druaga will not appear and fight you. There is also a Ruby Mace located near the top of the tower. You also need this to fight Druaga. Once you have all three rods and have defeated Druaga, they will become one again, and can be used to free Ki."

"I will recover all three rods," said Gil.

"Furthermore," said Ishtar, "there are upgrades for your armor hidden. You need the best equipment to triumph over Druaga. Be careful: some equipment requires you to have a Balance, or it will become evil equipment that will make it easier for Druaga to kill you."

"Oh my," said Gil. "I promise that I will get the Balances and reveal the good equipment."

"Now then," said Ishtar, "I am done with my commands. Go off and save Ki from Druaga!"

"Bye, Ishtar!" said Gil. He made his way out of the temple of Ishtar. Once Gil had left the temple, Ishtar disappeared. No one had seen them.

Gil made his way through the city of Babylim. It was all pretty quiet. After all, Gil had been with Ishtar for a while, and it was nighttime now. Gil walked around the town square. He saw nothing but dust. Then, he was approached by a shadowy figure.

"Who is it?" asked Gil.

"Gil!" said the person. It turned out to be none other than Arzu. "I've been looking for you all day! Where did you get the spiffy armor?"

"I am going to the Tower of Druaga," said Gil. "Ki has been captured by Druaga and turned into stone. I have sought help of the goddess Ishtar and she gave me this armor and sword."

"You're going _there_?" said Arzu, startled. "The Tower of Druaga? Don't you know it's very dangerous? There are monsters all over the place. And Druaga will turn you to stone too if you're not careful!"

"I will be careful. Ishtar gave me a great deal of protection so I could venture inside the tower. Please, don't worry. I'll try to get back in one piece."

"Okay."

"What happened with you today?"

"Zahra and I had a meeting with Bahlarant and Lamia in Sumer. I wrote a message saying that they should lay off Babylim for a while and leave it to us. We're still part of the Empire, but we don't have to worry about any work for now."

"That's great. Who is she, anyway?"

"She used to be the priestess of the temple at Sumer. Not too long ago, Bahlarant removed her due to his strife with the gods. I have become a close friend of hers. I'm sure you'd like to meet her when and if you exit the tower."

"Arzu," said Gil, looking serious, "I'd love to stay and chat, but right now I have to go to the Tower of Druaga to save Ki. I must leave you."

"All right," said Arzu. She gave Gil a hug. "I am really going to miss you! I hope Ki comes back unharmed!"

"I'll be careful," said Gil.

"Bye!" said Arzu. "Good luck!"

"Thanks!" said Gil. Arzu watched as Gil walked into the darkness and disappeared.

Gil walked for a while longer. He went through the woods to the northwest, which led him to the clearing. In this clearing stood the Tower of Druaga in all its glory. It soared so high that it seemed to cut through the clouds that cast Babylim in darkness. All around the tower, there was a mist looming.

"It sure looks dangerous," said Gil as he approached the tower. "Well, here I go – to defeat Druaga and save Ki." He walked up the steps of the tower, opened the front door, and it shut behind him. This would be the last Gil would see of the outside world for a time.


	22. Druaga and Succubus

Meanwhile, Druaga had begun to relax about the tower. When he heard that Gil was going to enter the tower with the intent of defeating him and freeing Ki, he laughed at first.

"Oh, really?" he said. "There's no way that Prince Gilgamesh will be able to rescue Ki! I have the power to turn that bastard to stone with one zap!"

However, this all changed when Druaga's chief messenger reported to him after he heard how Gil was having help from the gods, who provided him with armor and weapons.

"Druaga," said the messenger, "I've heard that Gil has the gods on his side! The goddess Ishtar endowed him with courage and power! We might have to be careful!"

Druaga dropped his swords, which made an ear-splitting sound as they fell to the floor.

"WHAT?" thundered Druaga. "Prince Gilgamesh got support from the gods? How _dare _him! I want my minions to destroy him! And as for the Blue Crystal Rod…"

Druaga began creating a shadow that darkened the room around him.

"I need someone to help guard the Blue Crystal Rod," he said.

Druaga got the answer – in something even viler than all his messengers. It was a vile creature in the form of a woman. She had wavy blonde hair and fierce red eyes. Two dark horns were mounted on her head. A pair of great bat wings flapped on her back. Her hands and feet were equipped with long, sharp nails. She did not wear any clothing. Her name caused great fear in the hearts of many, so she was simply referred to as Succubus.

Succubus flew over to Druaga. "I have gotten your answer," she said. "I will help you guard the Blue Crystal Rod."

"Excellent," said Druaga. "Now I will be able to end Prince Gilgamesh's quest before he can attempt to defeat me."

"Do you want anything else?" asked Succubus.

"Well," said Druaga, "there is one thing that, when Gilgamesh encounters you, I would like you to do. Try to trick him with a false Gilgamesh that I created, and then go for him." He showed Succubus a doppelganger of Gil, which looked like him but with dark armor and fierce red eyes.

"Good," said Succubus. "But that's not what I wanted."

"Huh?" said Druaga.

"I have something even better," said Succubus. "Gilgamesh seems to have a fondness for the goddess Ishtar. I will disguise myself as Ishtar, and once I've gotten him where I want him, I will turn him over to you. Then you can kill him."

"Yes!" said Druaga. "That is the perfect plan. Take this with you." He handed her a rod. It looked like the Blue Crystal Rod, but it had a glass jewel. This was the Dark Crystal Rod, which Druaga had created to cause chaos.

"Where should I go?"

"Eh…maybe…well…there's always floor 57. Go to the 57th floor and take the Blue Crystal Rod and Dark Crystal Rod with you. When Gilgamesh arrives, offer him the Dark Crystal Rod, and proceed to trap him so I can kill him."

"I will," said Succubus.

"Now then," said Druaga, "Let our plans commence!"

Succubus left Druaga and flew to the 57th floor. She then used her magic to make herself look like Ishtar and the Dark Crystal Rod like the Blue Crystal Rod. However, since there were Druaga's monsters lurking on the floor, Succubus made herself invisible. Once Gil was able to meet certain requirements, she would make herself visible.

And so here begins Gil's climb up the Tower of Druaga…


	23. Floors 1 to 10

_Now here is the chapter that starts the famous quest. It will be divided into the 60 floors of the Tower of Druaga. This one, for example, covers the first ten floors of the tower. Treasures are mainly inspired by the PCE remake instead of the original arcade version._

**FLOOR 1**

Gil had just entered the Tower of Druaga. He plodded along the floor so he could see what was in the tower. Right now, Gil could see nothing but mazes. Some of the walls had candles in them.

Unbeknownst to Gil, the tower's interior had changed since Druaga had captured Ki. Druaga had slightly altered the mazes and destroyed all of the secret passageways. This meant that Gil had no choice but to go up every floor one by one. There was no turning back.

Gil took the manual that Ishtar had given to him out of his satchel. He opened it up to the first page. It said: **To reveal this item, a slime must fall.** Gil decided to look around for slimes.

In various places, there were slimes, all of a bright green color. They were not very big, perhaps the size of a dog. They moved by hopping around.

"These things look pretty weak," said Gil. "Perhaps if they impale my sword, they will instantly die. I will probably be able to kill more of them then necessary."

Gil went to a corner where there were two slimes. They were too weak to put up a fight with, so he simply swung his sword and they both died. A treasure immediately appeared behind Gil. He went over to the treasure chest and opened it. In it, he found a Copper Pickax. This would enable Gil to break down walls. However, when Gil read the manual again, he said that it could only destroy two walls per floor. Stronger pickaxes would supersede this pickax later on.

Gil saw more slimes in the way of the key. He cut down the slimes one by one. Then, he reached the key. "Great!" he said. "Now I can advance to the next floor!"

He took the key, went to the door, and used it to move up to the next floor. He was awarded a Spirit Crystal. Gil held it in is hands. The crystal disappeared instantly, but he felt the power of the crystal in his veins.

**FLOOR 2**

Now Gil was on the second floor. This one also had slimes. This time around, there were Black Slimes in addition to the Green Slimes found on the first floor. The Black Slimes moved faster than the green ones.

"I'm guessing that this time I have to kill a Black Slime to get the treasure," said Gil. "I don't even need the manual."

Suddenly, a Black Slime approached Gil. It tried to leap on him and cover him with slime. Instantly, Gil drew his sword and it tore through the Black Slime. Then, another treasure chest appeared.

Gil opened the chest. Inside the chest was a pair of Jet Boots. They would speed up Gil. This could be used to his advantage, since the boots he wore were rather slow and clumsy. He took off his regular boots, which then vanished, and put on the Jet Boots. He walked around. He _did_ move much faster after all!

There were more slimes, both green and black, between Gil and the key. At first, he cut through the army of slimes. But then he remembered the Copper Pickax. He used it to break a wall. To his great surprise, the key was only a few feet away. He grabbed the key and used it to advance to the next floor. He was awarded another Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 3**

On this floor, Gil heard the clanging of metal footsteps. "Someone's running through the tower," he said. "I must approach with caution."

He drew his sword and moved around with it. There were more Green Slimes, but they died by Gil's sword. Gil was exposed to a shadowy figure. The shadowy figure walked into the light. Gil saw that he was a Blue Knight, the lowest rank of Sumerian soldier. "I guess I must kill him "

He approached the Blue Knight with his sword drawn. The Blue Knight was pretty weak, and he died when Gil pierced the sword against him.

When the knight fell, a treasure chest appeared behind Gil. This surprised him, since he didn't even have time to look at Ishtar's manual. "I'll use it on the next floor," he said.

He opened up the treasure. Inside the chest was a small chime. This was the Silver Chime. It would ring if Gil faced the key for a few seconds. He heard it ring. It had pointed out the key. Gil decided to use the Copper Pickax. He managed to destroy two walls. After he destroyed the second wall, the Copper Pickax became useless for the remainder of the floor.

Gil picked up the key and used it to open the door. From there, he was awarded yet another Spirit Crystal and advanced to the next floor.

**FLOOR 4**

Before he did anything else, Gil read the manual to see the hint. **Absorb a spell with your shield.**

Gil heard the chime ringing. It again pointed out where the key was located. Gil destroyed a wall with the refreshed pickax and walked over to the key. He picked it up. Then, he saw a spell coming right for him. Gil barely managed to evade the spell.

The caster was a Mage, clad in a purple robe. The Mage cast another spell. This time, Gil managed to block the spell with his shield. Then he drew his sword at the Mage and slew him.

Gil saw a treasure chest appear. He went over to the chest and opened it. Inside was a Book of Maps. It contained the layout for every floor of the tower.

"It looks pretty useful," said Gil, "but I don't need it right now. Maybe later it can help me"

There were Black Slimes guarding the door. This wouldn't be a problem for Gil. He cut the slimes down and reached the door. He opened the door and exited the floor. There he was awarded his Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 5**

This floor had magic circles of various colors lying on the floor. Gil read the hint: **The white one in the middle is the one to walk on.**

Gil saw the light of the white magic circle. He began to make his way towards it. But he was suddenly attacked by two vampires coated in purple fur. These Purple Vampires were the same ones that Ki had seen on her ascent of the tower. They were howling and moaning.

The vampires would be no match for Gil. He drew his sword and tore through the vampires. Gil finally got to walk across the white magic circle.

At Gil's starting point, a treasure chest appeared. He approached it. Then he opened it up. Inside was a White Sword. Gil traded his sword for the White Sword. Instantly, the treasure chest, which now had Gil's old sword in it, disappeared.

"I should test this out," said Gil.

He saw a couple of Green Slimes at the other end of the hallway. He charged at them and the slimes were impaled by the sword. Gil then found the key, used it to go upstairs, and got his Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 6**

This floor looked harder. Gil saw that there were bats sleeping on the ceiling. "I better not disturb them," said Gil. "I must keep quiet." He quickly read the manual. It said: **Move and swing your sword.**

Gil moved away from his starting point. Then he swung his sword. Instantly, a treasure appeared behind him. He opened it up and found a Red Line Shield. The Red Line Shield replaced his regular shield.

A Black Knight, the next rank after the Blue Knight, appeared with his sword drawn. Gil responded by drawing his sword and attacked. It took a few hits, but the Black Knight eventually fell.

Gil approached the key and took it. However, this had awoken the bats. The bats began chasing Gil. He tried fighting them with his sword, but the bats weren't injured. He ran for the door and went upstairs. There he was awarded a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 7**

This floor had a few more bats on it. There were also Red Slimes hopping around. These had the power to shoot the Mage's white spells. The white spells stopped when they hit a wall. Gil read the manual: **Break a wall with your pickax.**

Gil used the Copper Pickax to break a wall. The treasure chest appeared behind him. This treasure chest contained a set of Red Line Armor to go with the Red Line Shield. Gil put on the Red Line Armor.

There were Red Slimes blocking the way to the key. Gil drew his sword and ran. They all died when Gil charged right through them. He grabbed the key and went to the door. He got his Spirit Crystal as he left the floor.

**FLOOR 8**

Gil looked around for enemies. There were two Blue Knights walking along the floor. In the corner, there was also a snake slithering around – the same snake that Ki had encountered. When he approached it, he drew his sword and hacked off its head.

After killing the snake, he read the manual. It said: **Use the pickax on the door.**

Gil giggled. "That's weird!" he said. "Yet again, it probably won't break the door." So he made his way to the door, destroying a wall with the pickax in the process, and used the Copper Pickax on the door. The door didn't break. Instead, it broke the pickax.

There was a treasure waiting for Gil at his starting point. He opened it up. Inside was a Gold Chime. This would remind him that he had found the treasure. A useful item indeed.

When Gil walked over to the key and grabbed it, the Blue Knights approached him. He fought both knights and beat them. Gil used the key to exit the floor. He got another Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 9**

Before he did anything, Gil read his manual: **Walk across the two shining magic circles to reveal the treasure.**

First, Gil encountered a Purple Vampire walking around. Gil smote the vampire with his sword. Then he encountered a Sorcerer. The Sorcerer shot red spells, which turned into fire. The fire could turn Gil into ashes without proper protection.

The Sorcerer cast a spell and created a fire in front of Gil. When the fire disappeared, Gil walked forward, crossing a shining magic circle in the process. The Sorcerer reappeared and cast another spell. This time, Gil blocked the spell with his shield. Before the Sorcerer could disappear, Gil killed the Sorcerer. Then he walked over the other shining magic circle.

The Gold Chime rang and Gil saw the treasure chest appear. Inside this one was a White Gauntlet. Gil put it on and swung his sword. It moved faster than before.

Gil then grabbed the key, went to the door, and was awarded a Spirit Crystal as he left the floor.

**FLOOR 10**

This floor had Green Slimes and Red Slimes hopping around. The Red Slimes were casting spells. One of them cast a spell at Gil. He blocked the slime's spell with his shield.

Gil read his manual quickly. **Collect the key, but don't draw your sword.** "That's going to be hard," he said. "I'll have to run from the slimes instead."

The slimes gave chase to Gil. They tried to jump on him, but with little success. Gil managed to reach the key. Then he ran for the treasure. This treasure contained a Silver Pickax. Since the Copper Pickax was broken, Gil grabbed this one. It would allow him to use it five times instead of two. It would be broken for the floor if used on the outer wall.

The slimes were catching up to Gil. Now that he had the treasure, he could fight the slimes. Gil killed every single one of them before leaving the floor. When they were all gone, he got his Spirit Crystal and went upstairs.


	24. Floors 11 to 20

**FLOOR 11**

Gil looked around. The room was very quiet. Then, a Mage shot a spell at him. Gil quickly blocked the spell with his shield. He then drew his sword and killed the Mage. "That was a close one!" he said.

Gil then read the manual: **For one chest to appear, touch the outer wall. For the other to appear, touch the door before collecting the key.**

"Wow!" he said. "There are _two_ treasures! I better get both of them."

Gil was already standing near the outer wall, so he touched it. From here, a treasure chest appeared. Gil walked up to it and opened it. The chest contained a match, which would enable him to see ghosts – but for only one floor.

Now for the other treasure: Gil made his way to the door, destroying three walls in the process. He touched the door. Three Green Slimes appeared. Gil responded by cutting through them. Then, a snake appeared. Gil did the same to the snake.

When he went to the center of the room, there was another treasure chest sitting there. Gil opened it up. Inside was a trawl. This would enable him to build a wall. Once it was used, it would break.

"I could use this for later," said Gil.

He made his way to the key. Another snake appeared, but Gil managed to slay it without taking damage. He grabbed the key and went back to the door. He used the key to go upstairs. From there he got his Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 12**

On this floor, there were spells flying all around the room. Gil could not see who was casting them. Gil read the manual. It said: **Find the caster of the spells and slay it.**

"I better use the match if I want to see who is casting the spells," he said.

Gil took the match out of his satchel and lit it up. It revealed that the caster was a ghost. The ghost flew around, casting spells as it went. Gil drew out his sword. The sword pierced against the ghost, but it did not harm it. The ghost had teleported.

Naturally, Gil gave chase. He ran across the tower, destroying any walls that were in the way. Eventually, after using up his Silver Pickax, Gil managed to corner the ghost and drew his sword. The ghost's soul vanished and its brown mantle fell to the floor. Then, a Black Knight appeared. Gil fought the Black Knight and slew him.

Gil went back to his starting point. The treasure chest was sitting there. This chest contained a pair of Levitate Boots. These would prevent Gil from being stuck in any pitfalls, which Druaga had planted on a few floors. Gil put on the Levitate Boots. They didn't move any faster than the Jet Boots, though. Gil collected the key and went upstairs. He was awarded another Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 13**

There was several Mages teleporting through the floor. If Gil was not careful, they could knock him off his feet.

Gil proceeded with caution. He snuck through the labyrinthine hallways. After a while, two Mages teleported in front of Gil. Gil drew his sword. The shield blocked both of the spells, while Gil's sword smote the Mages.

When Gil returned to his starting point, there was a treasure chest. He opened it up. It contained a Book of Keys. The book warned that for the rest of the tower, the keys would be invisible. However, possession of the book would enable Gil to see them.

"I wonder if there's another treasure on this floor," said Gil. "I should check the manual." When Gil read the manual, it said: **Push against a wall for five seconds.**

Gil thought that this was silly, but he walked into a wall and pushed against it. After five seconds, a treasure chest appeared. Gil opened it up and found a Light Blue Potion. This potion would restore some of Gil's health if he was injured enough.

"At least I won't have to worry about getting thirsty," said Gil as he put the potion in his satchel.

Now that the treasures were out of the way, Gil decided to get rid of all the other enemies. He found the rest of the Mages teleporting around. They all ganged up on Gil. But Gil tore through them. He then went to collect the key and found Blue Slimes, which had the power to break down walls. He cut through the slimes and made it to the door. Gil got his Spirit Crystal and exited the floor.

**FLOOR 14**

This floor, unfortunately, had the "land urchins" that Ki had encountered on her trip through the tower. Gil saw that he would not be able to kill them, so he would use his pickax to get around them.

Gil read the manual: **Stand on a magic circle and wait for it to shine.** Gil then walked over to a magic circle. After five seconds, it started shining. Gil then walked off of it and saw the treasure. He opened it up. Inside this chest was another match.

"I guess that in about a floor or two, another ghost will appear," said Gil.

He managed to avoid the Land Urchins, but encountered a Red Slime. This wouldn't be a problem. The slime cast a spell, which Gil blocked with his shield. Gil stabbed the slime. He then made his way to the key, which he used to exit the floor. From there he was awarded another Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 15**

This floor was quite suspicious. There was a mysterious presence engulfing the room, but Gil could not see what it was. There was also the sound of flames. Gil hoped that the manual could ease the pain. It said: **Stand still for several seconds.**

"That's it?" said Gil. "I have to stand still so the enemies can catch me? No way! Or maybe…this will make a treasure appear to help me!"

Gil stood still for several seconds. After five seconds, a treasure chest appeared. After another five seconds, another treasure chest appeared. "I guess it paid off," he said.

Gil opened them both. The first chest contained an Emerald Necklace. This necklace would be needed to collect the next two necklaces, which were power-ups. The second chest contained an Acid Scroll. This scroll, if used, would damage all enemies on one floor.

After getting both of the treasures, Gil walked around for a bit. A Druid appeared in front of him. This was like a Mage, but stronger and could cast spells that broke walls on impact. The Druid was clad in a grey robe. He cast a spell at Gil, who blocked the spell with his shield. Gil then slew the Druid.

There were also some Green Slimes and Blue Slimes, but they weren't a problem to get through. At last, Gil saw a jet of flames burning. Gil broke a wall with his pickax and saw that there was a dragon. This was one of the entities divided from Quox the Dragon. This was called a Quox because it resembled the dragon's original green form. Gil attacked the Quox. The dragon responded by breathing fire, which Gil dodged. Gil ran away, but the Quox caught up by breaking down walls. Gil went back and attacked the Quox from the side. Gil ended up slaying the dragon.

Now that all the enemies were gone, Gil went to get the key. He found it in a corner. He then went to the door, where he exited the floor and was awarded a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 16**

This floor had another ghost, which teleported around the room. Gil lit up the match and found the ghost. He drew his sword and slew it.

Gil then read the manual: **Walk on the two green magic circles.** Gil started walking. He destroyed a wall with the Silver Pickax and found a green magic circle. Gil walked across it. Then, an Orange Vampire approached him. This one was like a Purple Vampire, but a little stronger. It proved to be no match for Gil, who easily stabbed it.

There were bats flying all across the room. Gil avoided them by destroying more walls. Because of the power of the Spirit Crystals, Gil was able to destroy more walls, bringing the total number of walls destroyed to seven. When he found the second green magic circle, he walked across it. The key was also there, so he collected it.

Gil went back to his starting point and found a treasure chest. This chest contained a Spear. It was actually a fancy sword, but it was long and straight just like a real spear. He saw another Orange Vampire coming right at him. Gil attacked the vampire with the Spear. The vampire died more quickly than the previous one.

Gil used the key to go upstairs. There he was awarded his Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 17**

The first thing that Gil did on this floor was read the manual. The manual said: **For one chest to appear, walk on the two black magic circles. For the other chest to appear, kill all the enemies.**

Gil started walking. He looked for the first black magic circle. A Purple Vampire was standing on it. Gil unsheathed his sword and charged at the vampire, stabbing it in the chest. He ran over the black magic circle in the process. Another Purple Vampire was trudging through the adjacent hallway. Gil destroyed a wall with the pickax and killed the second vampire.

Suddenly, a knight rushed right at Gil with his sword drawn. This knight was a Mirror Knight, the next rank of soldier, clad in white armor. Mirror Knights in the Tower of Druaga were capable of great speed. Gil used his shield to block the Mirror Knight's sword. Gil and the Mirror Knight dueled, resulting in the knight's death. Gil then found the second black magic circle and walked across it.

There were two treasure chests in the room, one in the center and one at Gil's starting position. Gil opened the one at the start first. Inside was a candle. When this item was used, ghosts would be visible for the remainder of the tower. Then Gil opened the other chest. This chest had a Sleep Scroll, which, when used, would put the nearest enemy to sleep. Both items were indeed valuable.

Gil found the key near the second treasure chest. He grabbed this key, opened the door, and got a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 18**

This floor had Black Slimes hopping around. Several approached Gil as soon as he entered the floor. Immediately, he drew his sword and sliced them all. He then read the manual: **Shake your sword over the Sorcerer's flame.**

A Sorcerer was teleporting across the room. He was shooting flames as he went along. Gil tried to catch up with him, but with little success. He did, however, manage to find the key.

Gil found the Sorcerer standing over a yellow magic circle. The Sorcerer shot a spell at Gil, but he blocked it before it could turn into a flame. The Sorcerer then teleported behind Gil and shot another spell. This spell did not hit Gil, but became a flame. Quickly, Gil shook his sword over it. Gil then pursued the Sorcerer and killed him.

The treasure chest appeared. Gil opened it up. Inside the chest was a Blue Helmet, which would increase the power of the Spirit Crystals. Gil put on the Blue Helmet, which replaced his old helmet.

After getting the chest, Gil went to the door. He opened it, exited the floor, and was awarded a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 19**

This floor had bombs floating around. If they would explode, they would break down several walls. Gil tried to steer clear of them.

He then read his manual: **Do not use your pickax before you collect the key.** "That shouldn't be hard," said Gil. "I hear the bombs roaming around."

A bomb finally approached Gil. Gil ran away from the bomb as it began to light up. The bomb exploded, destroying several walls in the process. Gil took advantage of this by using the broken walls to find the key and retrieve it. Several Blue Slimes gathered around the door. There were also a few Yellow Slimes, which did not shoot spells, but were still stronger than the previous slimes. Gil drew his sword. One by one, the slimes fell to the ground.

When Gil went back to his starting point, there was a treasure chest. Inside the chest was a Book of Light. This book, when activated, would light up the floor. This would come in handy, since the further floors would be dark.

Gil then used the key to exit the floor and was awarded a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 20**

This floor was completely dark. Gil heard the clang of knights' footsteps, but he did not see a thing. Fortunately, Gil had the Book of Light. He opened it up. "Let there be light!" he said. The book lit up the room.

Gil read his manual: **Lure both of the Black Knights to the shining yellow magic circle. They will disappear when they step on it.** "I'd like to see that," said Gil.

There were two Black Knights in the room, walking around carelessly. Gil thought that if both of them were nearby, he could make them both disappear. He destroyed a few walls with the Silver Pickax to find one Black Knight, and lured him to where the other knight was. Both Black Knights were now chasing Gil. But Gil had some more tricks. He would make them go faster.

"Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah!" he teased. "You can't catch me!" The knights got angrier and moved faster, but Gil lured them to the magic circle. Once the knights stepped on it, they vanished. Gil then swung his sword.

Two treasure chests appeared. Gil opened one of them, which contained a Fire Shield. This was stronger than the Red Line Shield and would protect Gil against fire. The other chest contained a Silver Clock. This item would stop enemy movement for 20 seconds.

After collecting both treasure chests, Gil found the key. He used it to open the door. He exited the floor and got his Spirit Crystal.


	25. Floors 21 to 30

**FLOOR 21**

Gil moved around. This floor had five magic circles: two green circles, a white circle, a yellow circle, and a gold circle. Gil was puzzled. What were the circles of different colors for?

Then he read his manual. It said: **To reveal this treasure, all five magic circles must be gold.** "I guess I should change the magic circles' colors by walking over them," said Gil.

Gil began moving around. There were a few snakes in the way of the first magic circle, a green one, but Gil cut through them. Gil stepped on the green magic circle. Instantly, it changed its color to gold.

The second magic circle was already gold, so Gil made his way to the third magic circle, a yellow one. This one had a Mirror Knight running along it. The Mirror Knight saw Gil and drew his sword. Gil responded by fighting and killing the Mirror Knight. He then touched the third magic circle. It changed its color to gold as well.

Gil walked to the other side of the room. He saw the fourth magic circle, another green one, but an ogre was blocking it. Gil drew his sword and killed it. He stepped on it, and it changed its color to gold. Then, he destroyed a wall with the Silver Pickax and found the key. Over here was the fifth magic circle, a white one. Gil walked across it. It changed to green. He walked across it again. This time, it changed to gold.

Once all the magic circles were gold, Gil began to make his way back to his starting point. All of a sudden, he was startled by a ghost. This accidentally made him break the Silver Pickax by using it on the outside wall.

"Damn!" said Gil. "Too bad. I hope the next treasure is another pickax."

He took out his candle and the candle revealed the ghost. Gil drew his sword and stabbed the ghost. He then went back to his starting point, and found the treasure chest. Inside was a Gold Pickax, which could break down ten walls per floor. "Awesome!" said Gil as he picked up the pickax. He made his way to the door and exited the floor. There he got his Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 22**

This floor was just like the fifteenth floor – also very suspicious. Gil guessed, correctly, that there was another Quox on this floor. First, Gil read the manual. It said: **Kill the Quox.**

Gil drew his sword and began to make his way towards the Quox, which was located on the other side of the room. First, he found a few Green Slimes. They were all impaled by Gil's sword. Next, there was a pair of Blue Knights. The knights died quickly as well.

Finally, Gil reached the Quox. The Quox was breathing fire and breaking down walls. Gil poked the dragon with his sword. The Quox responded by breathing fire, which Gil managed to evade. Gil fought the dragon. It took a while, but the Quox eventually died.

When Gil got back to his starting point, he found the treasure. Inside was a Dragon Slayer. When used on a dragon, it would die in one hit. This would come in handy.

Gil found the key near the treasure. He picked it up. Then he destroyed several walls and found the exit. He went upstairs and was awarded another Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 23**

There were plenty of Blue Slimes on this floor, and unfortunately, there were a few Land Urchins. Gil read his manual: **Collect the key.** "That should be pretty easy," said Gil. Then he read the second part of the message: **Use the Silver Clock.** "That sounds easy, too," he added.

Gil made his way to the key. There were Blue Slimes in the way. Gil unsheathed his sword. The Blue Slimes broke down walls with their spells first, and then they approached Gil. Gil dealt with them by using the Silver Clock. The slimes froze instantly. Then he spun around, attacking in as many directions as he could. He got rid of all the slimes, but it made him dizzy.

Next, Gil saw the key, but there was a Land Urchin blocking it. Gil broke a wall perpendicular to the Land Urchin and collected the key. He didn't even need to bother with the Land Urchin at all.

When Gil went back to his starting point, he found two treasure chests. He opened the first one. It contained a set of Black Knight Armor. This would prevent enemies from chasing Gil. He then opened the other chest. It contained a Quiet Scroll. This would stop magicians from casting their spells.

Gil then went to the door, opened it up, and was awarded a Spirit Crystal as he went upstairs.

**FLOOR 24**

Gil immediately read his manual: **Turn off the lights for a few seconds.** "This probably refers to the Book of Light," he said.

He took the Book of Light out of his satchel and opened it. Then he closed it. The room was completely dark again. After a few seconds, the Gold Chime rang and Gil opened the Book of Light again. He found the treasure chest. He opened it up. Inside was a Silver Mirror. Possession of this mirror would slow down the Mirror Knights.

A pair of Black Knights was walking by. Since Gil was wearing Black Knight Armor, they wouldn't feel the need to chase him. They would still attack him, though. Knowing this, Gil fought the Black Knights until both fell to the ground and died. Gil found the key in front of him and picked it up.

Then, a pair of Orange Vampires trudged through the room. Gil dealt with them, too. Once all of the enemies were dead, Gil used the key to open the door and exit the floor. He got another Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 25**

Gil walked around to see what was going on. There were bats flying around. By now Gil knew that he would avoid them. There were also a few Purple Vampires walking through the room. There was even an enemy new to Gil – a Green Roper.

At first, Gil thought he might have to kill a certain enemy or do something to get the treasure. However, when he read the manual, he was surprised:** There is no treasure on this floor.** "I wonder why?" said Gil. "Oh, well. I'll just fight as many enemies as I need to so I can get the key and exit this floor."

Gil went for the key. He fought and killed all the Purple Vampires. He did encounter the Green Roper, but he decided not to kill it. Gil collected the key and went upstairs. He was awarded another Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 26**

This floor had two Blue Knights walking around. There were also two enemies that Gil hadn't seen before. One was a Red Knight, the next rank of soldier after the Mirror Knight. The other was a Lizard Man, which was an anthropomorphic lizard. The Blue Knights were walking by. Gil fought them off.

Gil read the manual: **Wait for the shining magic circle to stop shining, and then step on it. Receiving enough damage may reveal another treasure.** Gil looked carefully at the second part. "I won't let my guard down," he said.

When Gil began walking, he noticed that there was a pitfall on the floor. The power of the Levitate Boots helped him get across it without getting injured. He found the Red Knight coming. Gil walked away from the pitfall. The Red Knight didn't even notice that he was approaching a pitfall. He fell in and was stuck.

Gil saw the shining magic circle behind the key. First, he picked up the key. Then, he saw that the magic circle stopped shining. Gil stepped on it. The Gold Chime rang to signal the appearance of a treasure chest.

The Lizard Man was sitting in a corner. Gil approached the Lizard Man to get his attention. He wielded a sharp, curved green sword, which charged at Gil. Gil fought the Lizard Man and slew him, but received a lot of damage in the process.

When Gil went back to his starting point, there were two treasure chests. Gil opened up one of them. It contained a Ruby Necklace. This was an upgrade of the Emerald Necklace and would actually help Gil by making him immune to the Sorcerer's flames. Then Gil opened up the other chest. It contained another Sleep Scroll.

Gil felt exhausted, so he took the Light Blue Potion out of his satchel and drank it. He felt refreshed after drinking it. Then he went to the door and used the key to open it. There he was awarded his Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 27**

Gil read his manual. It said: There will be a treasure mimic. Wait for the monster to get out and then you can collect it. To reveal another treasure, simply collect the key.

Gil walked around for a while, and then he found the treasure mimic. He waited it to open up. Finally, a pink eyeless monster appeared out of the chest. When Gil saw it, he screamed. Then, the monster disappeared. It was now safe to open the treasure chest. Gil approached the chest carefully, since that monster nearly gave him a heart attack.

The treasure chest contained a pair of Moon Walkers. They were shaped roughly like crescents, hence the name. They would make Gil feel freer to move around.

Gil then went to get the key. He found a Mage, which cast a spell at him. Gil blocked the Mage's spell and slew him. Then, a Green Vampire, which was slightly stronger than the Orange Vampire, came over. Gil hastily killed the vampire. The vampire turned out to be guarding the key. Gil grabbed the key.

When Gil went to the center of the room, he found another Green Vampire in front of the treasure chest. He tore through the vampire and approached the chest. Inside this chest was a Shell Scroll. This, when used, would protect Gil from spells for one floor. This could be very useful.

Gil then went to the exit and used the key to open it up. He then went upstairs and got a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 28**

Once again, Gil read his manual first. This time, it had a warning: **After this floor, the treasure chests will not open unless you have a key. To get this key, you must walk on a triangle of magic circles facing up.**

Gil began walking. While walking, he stepped over one magic circle. This got the attention of the slimes. There were Red Slimes and Yellow Slimes. They all approached Gil. But, with the help of the Moon Walkers, he managed to attack them all with his sword. The slimes all fell to the ground. The Moon Walkers didn't even make Gil dizzy!

Gil then made his way up to the second magic circle and stepped on it. Then he went over to the third magic circle. There were Green Ropers in the way. Gil decided to fight them this time. It was hard to kill them, but the ropers eventually died. At last, all three magic circles had been stepped on.

The treasure chest appeared. Gil opened it up and found a Bronze Key inside. This key would open treasure chests, but it would break on floor 36. There would be better keys to come.

After getting the treasure, Gil destroyed several walls so he could find the key. He found it in the corner, went to the door, and used it to open it up. From there, he was awarded a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 29**

Now, with the possession of the Bronze Key, Gil would be able to collect the treasures. He read the manual: **Ring the Silver Chime to make the chest appear.**

Gil rang the Silver Chime. This made a treasure chest appear. Gil went over to it and opened it. Inside the chest was a Reflect Shield. This would improve Gil's ability to reflect: he could reflect from the sides now.

Gil decided to get the key. There were many enemies in the way. First, Gil found a ghost. When the ghost came for him, Gil drew his sword and slew it. Next, there were two ogres. Gil killed both of them. Then, there was an abundance of slimes: Green Slimes, Black Slimes, and Blue Slimes. The Blue Slimes were destroying walls. One destroyed the wall behind Gil.

Gil attacked these slimes with his sword, one by one. All the Green Slimes fell without a problem. Next to die were the Black Slimes. Finally, Gil killed all the Blue Slimes, using his shield to reflect their spells. Gil found the key and used it to exit the floor. He got his Spirit Crystal upon exiting.

**FLOOR 30**

"Phew!" said Gil. "I'm halfway up the tower! Just another half to go and then I'll be able to see Druaga, defeat him, and save Ki!"

He read the manual before doing anything. It said: **There are two magic circles. Destroy all walls in between.**

Gil began to move. He found one magic circle and walked over it. He destroyed the wall in front of it. As he moved forward, a Green Roper appeared. Gil fought with the roper and slew it. Next, Gil destroyed another wall. This one had two Sorcerers. They shot spells, but the Reflect Shield protected Gil's sides. He managed to slay them both. Finally, he destroyed one more wall. He stepped on the magic circle before him. The key was also there, so Gil collected it.

When Gil went back to his starting point, he found the chest. Inside was a Spell Canceller. With this sword, he would be able to reflect spells with his sword drawn. Gil went to the door and exited the floor. He got another Spirit Crystal.

After going upstairs, Gil found himself in a small room. He was alone in the room at first, but then Ishtar appeared before him. "Hello, Gil," she said. "How is it going in the tower?"

"Pretty good," said Gil.

"Did you find all the necessary treasures?" she asked.

"Yes, I did."

"Good," said Ishtar. "Can you hand me the manual?"

Gil handed Ishtar the manual. Ishtar began reading it. "I'm impressed!" she said. "Be aware, though, that your manual is now used up. You can still find the treasures, but use your wit. I wish I could help, though."

"I'll remember," said Gil.

"You look tired," said Ishtar. "Want to take a rest?"

"Sure," said Gil.

"Okay. Lie down." Gil lay down, and soon found himself lying down comfortably on Ishtar's lap. He fell asleep and dreamt of saving Ki. When he would wake up the next morning, he would be all refreshed.


	26. Floors 31 to 40

**FLOOR 31**

Gil woke up and found himself standing on the thirty-first floor. The sleep that Ishtar had given him helped. Gil felt completely recharged and was raring to go.

"Now then," he said. "The manual is used up, so what should I do to get the treasure? I better look around and find out."

Gil found a Red Knight walking around. He drew his sword and went over to the Red Knight. They fought, resulting in the Red Knight's death.

Then, Gil heard bombs moving around the floor. Gil decided to be more careful. He approached one bomb. The bomb simply moved around at first, but then it exploded. After the explosion, Gil saw the key. He grabbed it and moved to the center of the room.

Located in the center of the room was a treasure chest. Gil opened up the chest. Inside was a Red Crystal. This would enable Gil to be protected from knights for one floor.

There were two more bombs moving around. Gil planned to have them both explode, and then he would exit the floor. He made his way to the upper left corner. He found a bomb, which subsequently exploded. Gil dodged the explosion. He repeated the same procedure with the second bomb.

Once both bombs had exploded, Gil went back to his starting point. He found another treasure chest there. Inside this chest was a Red Ring. This would prevent Gil from being damaged by Red Will-o-Wisps. Gil then went to the door and exited the floor. He was awarded a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 32**

This floor had a Red Will-o-Wisp zooming around the room. However, with the power of the Red Ring, Gil would be protected from the Will-o-Wisp. When the Will-o-Wisp approached Gil, it went right through him and he did not take any damage.

Gil saw that this floor was laden with enemies. First, there were Pink Slimes, which were stronger than the Yellow Slimes. There were also a couple of Black Knights. Last but not least, there was yet another Quox, breathing fire as it went along.

A number of Pink Slimes approached Gil. He drew his sword and killed them. Next were the Black Knights. As they came closer to Gil, he attacked them and slew them. Finally, there was the Quox. Gil heard it behind a wall with a candle. He destroyed the wall and saw the Quox. The two battled until Gil slew the Quox.

There was a treasure chest waiting for Gil. He went over to it and opened it up. Inside was a set of Holy Armor. This armor could absorb three spells. "I'm sure getting a lot of protection from spells," said Gil. There was also something else. Gil found a book. This book contained hints for the later treasures. It would be very valuable.

Gil then went to get the key. When he found it, he used it to exit the floor. He was awarded another Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 33**

Gil decided to test out the book. He opened it up. The book had a picture of four magicians. It went: **Druid, Mage, Druid, Mage.** "I'm guessing that's the order I have to kill them in," said Gil. "But to start, I think I'll give those bastards a little surprise!" Gil took out the Quiet Scroll and opened it up.

When a Druid appeared in front of Gil, he tried to cast a spell, but he failed. The Quiet Scroll had worked. Gil drew his sword and charged at the Druid, killing him. Then, a Mage appeared. Gil did the same to the Mage.

Gil then went to the key. He drew his sword while moving, waiting for another Druid to appear. He picked up the key and found another Druid. Gil smote the Druid. Finally, another Mage appeared a few feet away. Gil charged at the Mage, killing him.

Two treasure chests appeared: one at the center, and the other about ten feet away. Gil opened the chest in the center first. It contained a Green Crystal. This would protect Gil from ropers for one floor. Then he opened the other treasure chest. This one contained the first Balance, able to turn evil equipment into good equipment.

Gil saw another ghost and a Blue Slime approach him, but he kept his sword drawn and slew them. Then, he used the key to exit the floor. He got another Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 34**

This floor had a Mirror Knight roaming around. Gil noticed that he was moving much slower than the previous Mirror Knights. Gil drew his sword and killed the Mirror Knight as it approached him.

A Sorcerer was teleporting across the floor. Gil waited for the Sorcerer to appear in front of him. When he did, Gil walked into the Sorcerer's flame. The Ruby Necklace prevented Gil from getting turned into ashes. Gil slew the Sorcerer.

Gil then found a treasure chest, placed the Balance on it, and opened up the chest. Inside was a Hyper Gauntlet. "Yes!" he said. "The Balance worked!" He put on the Hyper Gauntlet and swung his sword. The sword moved even faster than before.

There were a few more enemies. Gil saw some Orange Vampires, which proved to be no match once again. Then he found a few Black Vampires, the strongest form of vampire, but still pretty weak. He killed them too. Gil found the key, opened the door, and used it to go upstairs. There he got a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 35**

Gil looked around. There were a few Land Urchins, but Gil could easily avoid them by breaking down walls. There were also some Dark Green Slimes, which were like the Pink Slimes, but they could shoot green spells. Green spells had the power to go through walls. They only stopped when they hit an outer wall.

Gil read the book and found another picture. It showed three magic circles in a triangle. "This means that this pattern is on the floor," he said. "I will walk across them."

First, Gil found one magic circle and walked across it. Then, he found the key. All of a sudden, a few Dark Green Slimes appeared. They shot spells at Gil. Gil absorbed two spells with his Holy Armor, and blocked the rest with his shield.

Now Gil was before the second magic circle. He walked across it. When he found the third magic circle, there was a Land Urchin in front of it. Gil went around the Land Urchin by destroying two walls with the Gold Pickax. There he could walk over the third magic circle.

Gil began to make his way back to his starting point. He found two Green Ropers in his way. Gil was eager to get to the treasure, so he decided to use a Sleep Scroll. When he opened the scroll, it put the ropers to sleep. Gil was able to kill both of them.

There were two treasure chests waiting for Gil. He opened up one chest. It contained a Silver Key. The Bronze Key had broken, and the Silver Key would replace it. Gil then opened the other treasure chest. Inside this chest was a Blue Potion. This potion would restore more of Gil's health than the Light Blue Potion.

Gil used the key to open the exit and go upstairs. There he was awarded a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 36**

Gil was quite surprised when he went on this floor. He walked for only several feet, and then he destroyed a wall with his pickax. This revealed the key. He collected it and made his way to the door. He opened it up, but didn't go upstairs.

Gil saw a few Lizard Men approach him. He fought the Lizard Men and slew them. Then, he heard a noise. This was the sound of flames coming from a dragon's mouth. Gil destroyed more walls with the Golden Pickax and found that the breather was a Silver Dragon, the next form of Quox. This form was even stronger than the first one. Gil fought the Silver Dragon. It took a lot of energy out of him, but he finally slew the Silver Dragon.

Gil went back to his starting point. He found a treasure chest. This chest contained an Ankh. This Ankh was required to open the chest that contained the Green Crystal Rod, one of the rods needed to save Ki. There would be two more Ankhs to come.

At last, with all the enemies defeated, Gil made his way to the exit and went upstairs. There he was awarded a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 37**

Now Gil was on the floor that would contain the Green Crystal Rod. This floor had Mages teleporting around the room. There were also Red Ropers, which were slightly stronger than Green Ropers. Also walking along the floor was an orange-armored Hyper Knight, which were among the strongest knights.

First, Gil read his book. It showed a picture of enemies being slain. Gil interpreted this as needing to destroy all of the enemies. He decided to fight the monsters one by one so he could reveal the treasure.

Gil destroyed a wall with his Pickax and found two Mages shooting spells. The spells hit Gil, but they were absorbed by his Holy Armor. Gil drew his sword and charged through the Mages. They fell to the ground. Later, another Mage appeared in front of Gil. He took out this Mage like the others.

Next were the Red Ropers. Gil saw a few of them hanging out by the key. The Ropers looked tough, so Gil took out his Acid Scroll and opened it. This damaged the Red Ropers badly. Now that they were weakened, Gil drew his sword again and slew them. He then went to pick up the key.

Last was the Hyper Knight. The Hyper Knight charged at Gil and thrashed him. Gil blocked the knight's sword with his shield. Gil aimed his sword at the Hyper Knight and crossed paths with him. It took several tries to weaken the Hyper Knight. When the knight was finally weak enough, Gil took one last strike at him and slew him. All of the enemies were gone.

Gil went back to his starting place and found a treasure chest. He used the Ankh to open it up. Inside the chest was the Green Crystal Rod. Gil took the rod out and it began to flicker. "Excellent!" said Gil. "I have recovered the Green Crystal Rod! Now I only need to find two more rods."

After getting the Green Crystal Rod, Gil used the key to open the door and exit the floor. He got another Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 38**

Gil read the book before doing anything. There was a picture of a person standing still. Below it was a picture of a pickax with an X over it. "Okay," said Gil. "I must stand still for a while to reveal one treasure. To get the other treasure, I must use up my pickax."

Gil stood motionless for about fifteen seconds. After that, a treasure chest appeared. He opened it up. Inside the chest was the second Balance. Gil took the Balance and moved away from the chest.

A pair of Black Knights appeared and made a run for Gil. Gil unsheathed his sword and charged at them. They both died easily. Then, Gil found a snake slithering on the floor. Gil hacked off the snake's head.

Suddenly, green spells shot at Gil. Three of them were absorbed by his Holy Armor. He then blocked more with his shield. One of the casters appeared in front of Gil. It was a Wizard, the highest rank of magician. Wizards shot spells that went through walls. When the Wizard cast a spell, Gil blocked the spell with his shield. He then attacked the Wizard and killed him.

Gil wandered around the room to find the remaining Wizards. He destroyed walls with his Gold Pickax as he went along. He found four more Wizards. He used the same method that he used with the first Wizard. Eventually, he found that he could not break any more walls for the remainder of the floor.

Another treasure chest appeared in the center of the room. Gil walked over to the chest and opened it. Inside this chest was a Heat Scroll. This scroll, when used, would make Gil invincible and allow him to crash through enemies, killing them instantly. "I better use this when the need comes," said Gil.

Gil then found the key and used it to exit the floor. There he got a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 39**

First, Gil read his book. In the book there was a picture of a person standing before a candle. "I should stand before a candle," said Gil, "but…which candle is the right one?"

Gil walked around, looking for candles. He found one candle in the lower left section of the room, but it wasn't the right candle. He then tried another candle – this time on the upper left side of the room. Nothing happened.

He tried one more candle. This candle was near the key. Gil picked up the key and then walked over to the candle. After a few seconds, the Gold Chime rang. This was the right candle.

Gil destroyed two walls with the pickax and found the treasure chest. He opened it and found a pair of Rocket Boots. These were the fastest boots of all. They also provided Gil with the edge over dragons which he had lost after losing the Dragon Slayer. Gil put on the Rocket Boots and walked around. He went much faster.

Now he would fight the enemies. There was a bat flying around, but Gil avoided it. He found various slimes: Red Slimes, Blue Slimes, and Pink Slimes. He fought them all with his sword. They all died. There was also an ogre. Gil easily slew it. Next, Gil made his way to the door, opened it, and went upstairs. He was awarded a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 40**

This floor was one of the easiest for Gil. There was a large statue of a lion located in the room. Gil began to go towards the statue. A Mage appeared in front of him. The Holy Armor absorbed the Mage's spell, and Gil slew the mage.

The lion statue was smoldering. Gil approached the statue with care. He touched the statue. Instantly, Gil began to glow a dark red. This gave him the power that the Heat Scroll would give him.

Gil tested it out. He began running through the tower. He ran into two Lizard Men, burning them up as he went along. He then found two Blue Ropers, which were stronger than Red Ropers. Gil crashed into them as well and both of them burned up. Finally, as Gil approached the key, the glow wore off. He took the key.

There were two treasure chests waiting for Gil. Gil opened the first one. It had another Ankh. This Ankh would be needed to open the chest that contained the Red Crystal Rod. Then Gil opened the other chest. It had a Gold Clock. This could stop enemy movement for a whole minute. After getting the treasures, Gil then used the key to go upstairs, where he got a Spirit Crystal.


	27. Floors 41 to 48

**FLOOR 41**

This floor had tons of ropers. There were plenty of Green Ropers and Red Ropers. There were also Yellow Ropers, which were slightly stronger than Blue Ropers. A Quox was also walking along, destroying walls at times.

Gil read his book. There was a picture of a key. Next to it was a picture of a pickax trying to break a strong wall. "I should collect the key first," said Gil, "Then I should use the pickax on the outer wall."

First, Gil destroyed a wall with the Gold Pickax. He found two Green Ropers. He slew them both with his sword. Then he encountered a pair of Red Ropers. He also fought them and defeated them.

The Quox was nearby, destroying walls as it went along. Gil drew his sword and attacked the dragon. When the Quox breathed fire, Gil went to the adjacent wall and destroyed it. He could now attack the Quox from the side. Gil rushed at the Quox a few times and ended up slaying it.

Gil went to get the key. He found it, but then two Yellow Ropers came up to Gil and tried to grab him. He thrashed them with his sword as their tentacles tried to grab him. It took a while, but the Yellow Ropers eventually died. Gil then proceeded to use the Gold Pickax on the outer wall. It broke upon impact.

Two treasure chests then appeared. Gil went over to one of them and opened it. Inside the chest was a Sapphire Necklace. This necklace would make Gil immune to the dragons' fire breath. He then went to the other chest. This chest had a Green Potion. The Green Potion was the best potion. It would cleanse _every_ wound that Gil had and restore him to full health.

Gil went to the door and used the key to open it. He went upstairs and got his Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 42**

This floor had even more ropers, unfortunately. All four types that Gil had encountered so far were represented on this floor. Gil decided to use his Green Crystal now. He held it in his hands and it disappeared. He was now immune to damage from ropers for the remainder of the floor.

Gil then read his book. It contained a picture of an eye with a sword next to it. "An eye?" he asked. "Where am I going to find _that_?"

Gil began moving. He found some Green Ropers. He just let them attack him, since the power of the Green Crystal would make their damage ineffective. Gil was able to kill them all without taking any damage. Then, some Red Ropers appeared. Gil did the same to them.

Gil walked over to the center and was shot by a spell. He looked around. The caster was a Dark Eye. This was an eye standing on a tripod. Gil aimed for the Dark Eye with his sword. The Dark Eye shot another spell, which Gil blocked with his shield. Gil's sword poked the Dark Eye. It let out a scream and collapsed.

Now there was a treasure chest. Gil walked up to the treasure chest and opened it. Inside was the third Balance. Gil then went to get the key. He opened the door, went upstairs, and was awarded a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 43**

When Gil entered this floor, he found that many spells were being fired at him. He quickly drew his sword. The Spell Canceller blocked the spells. There were several ghosts and Wizards. Gil walked for a while, and then he found himself stuck to a shining magic circle.

"Shit!" yelled Gil. "I'm stuck to this stupid magic circle. Now what am I supposed to do?"

He tried to break free of the magic circle, but with no success. Then, he read his book: It showed a picture of a person blocking spells with their shield. There were three images of this. "It says that I must block three spells first," said Gil. "Only then will I be able to break free of the magic circle."

Gil began to block spells with his shield. They fired at him one by one. Gil reflected three spells in all. Then, as the Gold Chime rang, he was finally able to walk off the magic circle.

Before getting the treasure, Gil hunted down all the ghosts and Wizards and killed them. Then, he saw a couple of Green Vampires. He drew his sword and charged at them, resulting in their deaths. Finally, Gil made his way to the treasure chest. He opened it. Inside was a Hyper Helmet. This helmet had blue horns on the sides, giving it the shape of a Hyper Knight's helmet. It would also power Gil up. He put on the helmet.

"I sure like this one better than the first one," he said.

Gil went to get the key. He found it and used it to go upstairs. He was awarded another Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 44**

This floor was quiet. There appeared to be not many enemies on the floor. Gil read the book. It had a picture of a trawl. There was also a picture of slimes. There were eight slimes total. All were of different colors. They went in a pattern: **Green, Black, Red, Blue, Yellow, Pink, Dark Green, Dark Yellow.**

"There are eight slimes on this floor," said Gil. "I must kill them in this order provided." The Green Slime was nearby. Gil went up to the Green Slime and killed it. "Pathetic," said Gil. "I'll have an easy time."

Gil then went to kill the Black Slime, then the Red Slime, and then the Blue Slime. When he was fighting the Blue Slime, it cast two spells. One broke down a wall; the other was absorbed by Gil's shield. Gil found the key near the Blue Slime and picked it up.

Next were the four stronger categories of slime. Gil managed to kill the Yellow Slime and Pink slime with no problems. Then he went to the Dark Green Slime. It shot spells at him, but he blocked them with his shield.

Finally, there was the Dark Yellow Slime. This was the strongest of all the slimes. It had the power to shoot Sorcerer's flames. When Gil approached the Dark Yellow Slime, it shot fire at him. Thanks to his necklace, Gil did not get hurt. Gil tore through the Dark Yellow Slime with his sword.

At last, the treasure chest appeared. Gil opened it up. Inside was a Gold Key. By now, the Silver Key had broken, and this one would work for the rest of the tower.

After getting the first treasure, Gil used his trawl to create a wall behind him. He saw another chest appear. This one contained a Clear Scroll. The Clear Scroll, when used, would destroy every inner wall on one floor.

Gil used the key to open the door and exited the floor. He was awarded another Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 45**

This floor had various knights walking around. There was one of each class. Gil read his book to see what he should do to get the treasure. The book had a picture of knights, much like the one of slimes on the last floor. There were six knights in all; one of each type. The order they were listed in was: **Blue Knight, Black Knight, Mirror Knight, Lizard Man, Red Knight, Hyper Knight.**

"This is just like the last floor," said Gil, "but with knights instead of slimes."

The first knight was the Blue Knight. Gil defeated him without a problem. Next was the Black Knight. Gil had no problem with him either. Third was the Mirror Knight. Gil ran for the Mirror Knight with his sword drawn. The Mirror Knight went down without a fight. Gil then destroyed a wall with the Gold Pickax, which had been restored on floor 42, and found the key.

Next were the stronger knights. Gil spotted the Lizard Man and fought him. Once he was defeated, Gil went to fight the Red Knight. This fight took longer than the previous ones, but Gil triumphed. Last was the Hyper Knight. Gil fought the Hyper Knight for a while. He took quite a bit of damage, but he defeated the Hyper Knight.

Gil went to the treasure. It would not open with the Gold Key. Gil figured that this was a special treasure. He decided to use the Ankh to open it. When he used it, he saw that inside this chest was the Red Crystal Rod. Gil took the rod out. It flickered just like last time. "Wow!" he said. "The Red Crystal Rod! All I need is the Blue Crystal Rod and then I can reform them into one rod again!"

There was also a Silver Dragon on this floor. Gil fought the Silver Dragon. With the power granted by the Rocket Boots, the fight was shorter than Gil's last encounter with a dragon. Gil then used the key to exit the floor, where he got a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 46**

This floor seemed quiet as well. However, it was suspiciously quiet. Gil read his book. The book had a picture of a yellow magic circle. Below it was a black magic circle with enemies coming out. There was also a warning. It had a picture of an open door, but there was also a picture of enemies crossed out.

This was quite complex, but Gil interpreted it easily. "For one treasure," he said, "I must walk over the yellow magic circle until enemies stop pouring out of the black one. For the other, I must open the door without killing any enemies. I think I'll open the door first, since there appear to be no enemies right now."

Gil destroyed several walls with the Gold Pickax. After destroying about six walls, he found the key. He used it to open the door, but he didn't go upstairs just yet. He went to the treasure chest. Inside this chest was a Burn Scroll. This scroll worked like the Clear Scroll, but instead of destroying all the walls, it would destroy every enemy on one floor. Obviously, it wouldn't work on Druaga.

After getting the Burn Scroll, Gil walked over the yellow magic circle repeatedly. First a few Red Slimes came out of the black magic circle, then a few Dark Yellow Slimes came out, then a Black Knight, and finally a Silver Dragon. After that, the black magic circle died: no more enemies poured out of it.

Gil started by killing the Red Slimes. Then, he fought the Dark Yellow Slimes. They shot spells at him, but the Spell Canceller blocked them. Next, Gil killed the Black Knight. Finally, he went to fight the Silver Dragon, but when it breathed fire, it turned into a treasure chest!

"That was weird," said Gil.

He went up to the treasure chest and opened it up. Inside the chest was the fourth Balance. Once Gil took the balance, he went upstairs and got another Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 47**

This floor had another lion statue. Gil began to make his way to the lion statue. However, when he read his book, it had a picture of the lion statue with an X over it. This meant that Gil was _not_ allowed to touch the statue.

There were several Mirror Knights running around. Two of them approached Gil. He drew out his sword and killed them both. He then went over to the remaining Mirror Knights and killed them. Then he found a Red Roper. Gil charged through the roper and slew it. Lastly, he saw two Blue Ropers. He fought and killed both of them. When Gil went over to the lion statue, it collapsed. Behind the remains of the statue was a treasure chest.

Gil climbed over the rubble and opened the treasure chest. Inside was a Blue Line Shield. This was the best shield, and would provide him with the most defense. Gil destroyed a few walls with the pickax, found the key, and used it to go upstairs. He got another Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 48**

The first thing that Gil did was read his book. It simply had a picture of a key. "That means I should collect the key," said Gil.

This floor was loaded with enemies. There were Pink Slimes, Dark Green Slimes, ghosts, and Mages. There was also a Black Dragon. This was the strongest form of dragon. Gil didn't have time to fight all of the enemies, so he opened up the Heat Scroll and gained a dark red glow.

Gil began running through the tower, just like he did on floor 40. He ran into all the slimes and ghosts. He then grabbed the key and ran into the Mages and the Black Dragon. Then, the heat wore off. All the enemies were gone, so Gil made his way to the treasure chest.

This treasure chest had a Blue Ring. This would protect Gil from blue Will-o-Wisps. Now Will-o-Wisps would not be a problem at all. Gil used the key to open the door and exit the floor. He earned another Spirit Crystal.


	28. Floors 49 to 56

**FLOOR 49**

The first thing that Gil did was read the book. It had a picture of four magic circles. This meant that there were four magic circles, and Gil had to walk over all of them to reveal the treasure.

This floor had various enemies. There were Blue Slimes, Hyper Knights, and Druids. A blue Will-o-Wisp was floating around the room. Gil drew his sword and began walking.

First, Gil encountered the Blue Slimes after they destroyed two walls. Gil drew his sword and approached the slimes. They were all impaled by his sword. He saw a magic circle and walked over it. Then, Gil went to the other side of the room, where the blue Will-o-Wisp passed through him. He walked over the second magic circle.

Gil made his way to the third magic circle. He encountered Druids. They broke walls with their spells. Gil charged at the Druids and slew them. He then walked over the third magic circle. He then found the Hyper Knights. Gil took out a Sleep Scroll and opened it. The Hyper Knights fell asleep. Gil was able to charge through them and kill them.

Gil found that there were two treasure chests. The first chest contained the fifth Balance. The second chest contained another Sleep Scroll. Gil then went to get the key. After recovering it, he opened the door and was awarded a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 50**

This floor had both a red and a blue Will-o-Wisp, both of which could not harm him. Gil read his book. It contained a picture of both Will-o-Wisps. The picture had them over a magic circle. There were also Yellow Slimes and Blue Ropers. There were even a few Pink Ropers, the strongest variety of roper.

Gil first ran to get the key. He found three Yellow Slimes after picking it up. The Yellow Slimes were no match for his sword. He then went to the Blue Ropers and killed them all. Finally, he was approached by two Pink Ropers. Gil fought them. They died, but it took a long time to kill them.

At last, all the regular enemies were gone. Gil then saw the Will-o-Wisps. He walked around until both were near him. They chased him until they both went over the magic circle. Then they disappeared.

A treasure chest appeared. Gil opened it up. Inside the chest was a blue sword. This was Excalibur, the strongest sword in the Tower of Druaga. Gil picked it up. It replaced the Spell Canceller. He could not test it out here, since he had killed all of the enemies. So he decided to make his way to the exit. He opened it up, went upstairs, and got a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 51**

Now Gil would be able to test out Excalibur. This floor had several ghosts out, and they were shooting spells like crazy. Gil decided to use a Shell Scroll to protect himself from the spells. From there, he hunted down the ghosts one by one. They died very quickly due to Excalibur's power. When they were all gone, he was able to go to the treasure chest that appeared. It contained another Shell Scroll.

Gil then read his book. It had a picture of magic circles. They went from upper right to lower left. This was the order that would be needed to reveal the treasure. Gil was already closest to the upper right magic circle, a white one, so he walked over it. Then, Gil destroyed a wall with the Gold Pickax and found a Lizard Man. He hastily slew him and walked over the second magic circle, another white one.

Next, Gil retrieved the key. There was also another Lizard Man, which Gil quickly killed as well. He found the third magic circle, a yellow one, in the center. He walked over it. Then Gil destroyed another wall with the pickax and found the fourth magic circle, a gold one. He walked over this one as well. At last, Gil found the fifth magic circle, a black one. There was a Green Roper and a Red Roper blocking it. With the power of Excalibur, the ropers died very quickly. Gil then walked over the last magic circle. He had gone from upper right to lower left.

Another treasure chest appeared. Gil opened it up. This chest contained a Gold Mirror. Possession of this mirror would enable the strongest of Druaga's minions to be destroyed. Without it, they would be immune to damage from Excalibur. Gil walked over to the door, opened it up, and went upstairs. He got another Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 52**

This floor had plenty of Sorcerers and Wizards on it. They were shooting spells like crazy. Gil watched out for their spells. Many of them came towards him, but most were blocked by his shield. One of them, a Wizard's green spell, did hit Gil, but his Holy Armor absorbed it.

The treasure chest appeared, but Gil decided to slay all the magicians first. First he hunted down the Sorcerers, with his necklaces' protection preventing him from being charred. Next he killed all of the Wizards. Finally, he went back to the treasure chest. It contained the sixth and final Balance. "Well," said Gil, "At least this should be the last Balance."

Now for the other enemies. Gil found a few Pink Slimes, which he easily disposed of. Then, he found a Hyper Knight. Now that Gil had Excalibur, the Hyper Knights would be no match for him. The Hyper Knight died much faster than the previous ones. Last, he found a Quox. Gil disposed of the Quox easily. He found the key, opened the door, and exited the floor. He was awarded a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 53**

The first thing that Gil did was read his book: It showed a picture of the Book of Maps. There was also a picture of a person colliding with an enemy. Gil had almost forgotten about the Book of Maps, but he used it anyway.

A treasure chest appeared behind Gil. He turned around and opened it. Inside was a set of Blue Line Armor. This was the best armor of all. Gil put it on. Now he had all of the good armor that Ishtar had told him about.

Gil needed to fight the other enemies now. He found some Dark Green Slimes, which cast spells at him. Gil blocked the spells with his shield and slew the Dark Green Slimes. Next, he found a Lizard Man and a Red Knight. He killed them quickly.

Finally, there were a few Pink Ropers. Gil began walking towards them and bumped into one. The Pink Ropers grabbed Gil. He let out a scream and used his sword to cut off their tentacles. Now, without their tentacles, the ropers were powerless. Gil killed them.

Gil went back to his starting point and found a treasure chest. This chest contained a Blue Crystal. This was like the previous crystals, but it would allow Gil not to take damage from any enemy for one floor. Even better, if it was used, he was immune to damage from Druaga! Very valuable indeed. "I should save the Blue Crystal for the 59th floor," said Gil. "Then Druaga will be no match for me."

Gil found the key near the treasure chest. Then he destroyed a wall with his pickax and found the door. He opened up the door and exited the floor. There he was awarded a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 54**

This floor had plenty of knights running around. There were also a few Black Vampires and Will-o-Wisps. There were so many knights that Gil decided to use his Red Crystal. He held it in his hands and it disappeared. This made him immune to the knights' damage.

Gil read his book. The book had a picture of knights with an X over it. "This means that I must kill every knight to reveal the treasure," said Gil.

Gil drew his sword and began walking. He found a Mirror Knight, but he disposed of him quickly. Gil then found a Red Knight. He charged at the Red Knight, killing them. He then found the key and picked it up. The Black Vampires were there, but they didn't put up a fight.

Gil went over to the Lizard Men. He charged at them quickly, but missed. There was also a few Hyper Knights. Eventually, there were quite a lot of enemies. Gil didn't feel like wasting his time fighting them. He resorted to using a Burn Scroll. Once he opened it, all of the enemies burned up.

When Gil went back to his starting point, he found a treasure chest. He opened it up. Inside was the third and final Ankh. This Ankh would enable Gil to open up the treasure chest that contained the Blue Crystal Rod. "This is the beginning of the end," said Gil. "Ki, here I come!"

He went over to the door, opened it, and exited the floor. There he got a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 55**

When Gil entered this floor, he heard flames breathing. This floor had not one dragon, but two. There was a Silver Dragon and a Black Dragon. Gil read his book. The book had a picture of a 55 and a 56. Both of them had Xs over them. "This means that there are no treasures on this floor or the next one," said Gil.

Gil found the Silver Dragon. The dragon breathed fire at him, but the Sapphire necklace made Gil immune. He managed to kill the Silver Dragon quickly. Then, he found the Black Dragon. He tried to kill it, but it put up quite a fight. Gil then took out his Sleep Scroll and opened it. The Black Dragon fell asleep. Gil managed to kill the Black Dragon before it woke up.

Since there was no treasure, Gil simply went to get the key. He used it to open the door and exit the floor. He was awarded a Spirit Crystal.

**FLOOR 56**

"There's no treasure on this floor either," said Gil as he entered the room. "I can just slide through this floor, get the key, and go upstairs."

This floor had plenty of enemies, though. There were Dark Yellow Slimes, Blue Ropers, Yellow Ropers, ogres, and bats. Gil didn't have to worry about the bats, as he knew to avoid them. He fought the Dark Yellow Slimes and impaled them with his sword. He did the same with the ogres. Gil then went over to the Blue Ropers and killed them. He then fought the Yellow Ropers. It took a while, but he slew them all.

Gil then found the key, opened the door, and used it to go upstairs. He then found himself in another small room. Ishtar was standing before him.

"Gil," said Ishtar. "I see that you have all of the good equipment. I'm glad that you found all the Balances."

"I knew I would get it," said Gil.

"There's something I need to tell you," said Ishtar softly.

"What?" Gil asked.

"Firstly, after this floor, there will be no more Spirit Crystals." She handed Gil the final Spirit Crystal. He held it in his hands and it vanished. "But you won't need anymore. You've covered most of the Tower of Druaga."

"It was good while it lasted," said Gil.

"There's another part to it," said Ishtar. "Be warned. Ahead of you are the last few floors of the Tower of Druaga. They are also the most dangerous. Druaga himself is on floor 59. You must remain vigilant. But I have faith in you. I know you can do it!" She embraced Gil.

"Thanks, Ishtar," said Gil.

"No problem. I'll give you some rest and you'll be all set for the last few floors." Gil lay down in Ishtar's lap and fell asleep. Next would be the time that Gil would truly be tested.


	29. Retrieving the Blue Crystal Rod

**FLOOR 57**

This floor, unfortunately, was where Succubus was hiding herself. This would also be the floor that the Blue Crystal Rod was on. Druaga had commanded Succubus to hide it here. She had made herself disappear. She planned to disguise herself as Ishtar and trick Gil. Now let's see how…

Gil woke up, all refreshed, and found himself standing on the fifty-seventh floor. He read his book: It had a picture of the enemies with an X over it. This meant he had to destroy all the enemies.

There were Lizard Men and Mirror Knights walking around. There were also numerous Pink Ropers. Gil drew his sword and moved around. He found two Lizard Men. They put up a fight this time. He killed both of them, though. Gil then walked over to the Mirror Knights. They went down easily.

Next, he would face all of the Pink Ropers. There were about eight in all. It was hard work fighting them. The Pink Ropers attacked in pairs and injured Gil badly. Gil needed to stop them quickly. Then, Gil remembered the Gold Clock. He took it out and used it. This stopped the Pink Ropers from moving. Gil was able to fight them all and kill them before time was up.

Now that all of the enemies were dead, Gil looked towards the center. A light began shining from the ceiling. Sparkles came out of the light and shined throughout the room. A figure began to appear in the center. This figure took form of a woman. It was the goddess Ishtar – or was it?

Gil approached her. "Hello, Ishtar," said Gil. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to help you, Gilgamesh," she said.

"Why would you do so on this floor?" Gil asked.

"Because this is the floor that has the Blue Crystal Rod. I know the method to reveal it. Come closer and I will tell you how you can get the Blue Crystal Rod."

"Okay," said Gil, slowly approaching Ishtar. "Tell me how to get the Blue Crystal Rod." He looked nervous, for this Ishtar didn't sound like the one that he was familiar with.

"I have it right here…" she said, holding out what appeared to be the Blue Crystal Rod. "Now listen up. To retrieve the Blue Crystal Rod, you must …get ready for this…"

"What is it?" Gil asked.

"Trade in the Green and Red Crystal Rods," said Ishtar, grinning.

Gil looked at her. "What the?" he said angrily. "There is _no way in hell _that I will give up the other rods! I am supposed to have all three rods to save Ki!" He then looked at Ishtar. Now it was apparent that there was something fishy about her. "Wait a minute! You're not Ishtar!" He drew his sword and tried to attack her.

"You're right!" she exclaimed. "I'm not Ishtar at all!" She flinched, reached behind her back, and grabbed what was behind her. It was none other than the redBlue Crystal Rod. She then held the Blue Crystal Rod and it began to flicker. She began glowing and changing. It turned out that this "Ishtar" was really Succubus in disguise – and the rod she was planning to give Gil was really the Dark Crystal Rod.

"Succubus!" said Gil. "I should have known! What are you doing with the Blue Crystal Rod? I thought that Druaga had hidden it from others!"

"I am in Druaga's service," said Succubus, pacing slowly. "You must be Prince Gilgamesh. I have heard so much about you."

"Yeah," said Gil. "But how have you heard about me?"

"I've been around," said Succubus. "My domicile is in the mountains to the east, but I am in the Tower of Druaga now that he has charged me with protection of the Blue Crystal Rod."

"I've heard. I've never been allowed to wander that far to the east, lest I wanted to fall into your lair and get killed."

"You, Prince Gilgamesh, are the one who is heir to the throne of Babylim. Or, you _were_. King Marduk is dead now, and Babylim is in the hands of the Sumerian emperor Bahlarant. You and your sister Arzu are without a home. Your girlfriend Ki has gone up the tower to recover this rod, but she failed and is now Druaga's prisoner. Is this all true?"

"Yes," said Gil. "You're right."

Succubus paced around more, her wings flapping as she walked. "You know," she said, "the Blue Crystal Rod is needed to defeat Druaga. If you defeat him, you can advance to the top floor and save Ki."

"I know that very well," said Gil.

"You do?" said Succubus. "Good. I have possession of the Blue Crystal Rod. If you want it, you will have to answer all my questions the right way. If you don't, you get the Dark Crystal Rod – and I get to take you as my prisoner."

Gil was pretty nervous. If he agreed, he would have to answer various questions right to save his life. And if he got a single question wrong, Succubus would give him the Dark Crystal Rod make him her prisoner. "Okay," he said.

"Then it's on," said Succubus.

Succubus walked around more. Gil had a hard time looking at Succubus' undressed figure. She then approached Gil again.

"Okay," she said. "Here's the first question. Do you have all of the equipment that lay on the previous floor?"

"Yes," said Gil. He took out his hint book to prove it and handed it to Succubus.

"Good," she said. "You got your first question right. And the book's for me!" She put the book behind her back. The book disappeared in a flash.

"Now," said Succubus. "Will you join me in my travels?"

"No," said Gil.

"Good. I don't need a filthy human tagging along! Next question. Do you not need the Blue Crystal Rod?"

"No."

"That was supposed to be a tricky one. I expect you to say 'yes'. But you got it right. Next question. Have you used at least most of the consumable items that you've collected?"

"Yes."

"Good," said Succubus. "Only one more question. This is the most important one. It will determine whether or not you will get the Blue Crystal Rod. Okay?"

"Okay," said Gil. "Do go on."

"Is Druaga's fight with the gods significant?"

"No," said Gil. "It's going to lead him nowhere."

Succubus thought about it for a while. "Okay," she finally said. "I hate to admit it, but you win. Now, get lost! I'm getting out of here immediately!" Succubus disappeared in a flash. In her place was a treasure chest.

Gil approached the treasure chest and used the Ankh to open it. The Ankh began to flicker. Inside the chest was the Blue Crystal Rod. Gil picked up the Blue Crystal Rod and it lit up. "All right!" said Gil. "I have all three rods! Now to find the Ruby Mace. It should be upstairs."

Gil went to get the key, which was in the back of the room, and used it to go upstairs.

**FLOOR 58**

This would be the last floor before Gil would be able to face Druaga. This floor was loaded with enemies. There were Red Knights, Druids, Dark Eyes, and Black Dragons. Now that Gil gave his book to Succubus, he had to think of a way to get the Ruby Mace, which lay on this floor.

A Druid destroyed a wall and appeared behind Gil. Gil turned around and slew him. Gil then used a Shell Scroll to protect himself from the spells. He found two more Druids and slew them as well.

Now for the rest of the enemies. Gil found a Dark Eye, charged through it, and slew it. He found two more Dark Eyes and repeated the process. Then, two Red Knights came over to Gil with their swords drawn. Gil dueled with them and beat hem.

Lastly, there were the two Black Dragons. Gil destroyed several walls with the Gold Pickax to find one Black Dragon. Gil drew his sword and began attacking. Even with Excalibur, it took a long time to destroy this dragon. But eventually, the Black Dragon died. Gil then found the other Black Dragon on the other side of the room. It breathed fire at him, but the fire had no effect on him. Gil then slew the Black Dragon after a fight. He then used the Green Potion to recharge himself.

Gil went back to his starting point and found the final treasure chest. This treasure chest contained the Ruby Mace. This would enable Gil to see and fight Druaga. Along with the Blue Crystal Rod, this was the most important treasure in the tower.

"Finally!" said Gil. "I have all the necessary treasures needed to defeat Druaga and save Ki! Now it's time to go upstairs and face Druaga himself!"

Gil found the key nearby. He used it to open the door and go upstairs to face Druaga.


	30. Gil vs Druaga

**FLOOR 59**

This was it. This was the floor that Druaga was located. The key to the top of the Tower of Druaga was hidden from view. To get the key, Gil would need to defeat Druaga. However, Druaga had also hidden himself. He summoned three guards to protect himself: a Hyper Knight, a Wizard, and a Quox.

Gil entered the fifty-ninth floor. On this floor was an intricate and confusing maze. Gil tried walking around the maze, but he got lost inside of it. He then heard footsteps coming for him. Gil decided to use the last scroll that he had, the Clear Scroll. He took it out and used it. All of the walls of the maze broke instantly. Gil could now investigate.

Gil drew his sword and looked around. He found that the one that was moving fast was the Hyper Knight. However, this was not just any Hyper Knight. This knight had shining gold and silver armor, and he was moving very fast. But due to the Gold Mirror, he was beatable. Gil charged at the shining Hyper Knight and crossed paths with him several times. This exhausted the knight and killed him.

After taking damage from the Hyper Knight, Gil decided to use the Blue Crystal now. He held the Blue Crystal in his hands and it disappeared. Now he was immune to any damage for the rest of the floor, Druaga included. He then found himself surrounded by four Wizards. One was real and the other three were illusions. Gil looked closely at them. He noticed that only one of the Wizards, the one to Gil's right, did not periodically flicker. Gil attacked this Wizard with his sword and killed him. All of the other Wizards disappeared.

Gil then heard fire breath. He walked around to the other side of the room. This was a Quox. It had a red light around it. This dragon was actually the real, possessed Quox. If he was defeated, Quox would become good again and flee the tower. Gil then drew his sword and attacked the Quox. With the power of both Excalibur and the Ruby Mace, Gil was able to defeat it easily.

When the dragon fell to the ground, Gil saw a being flying out of the dragon's body. This was Quox himself. He was alive and well.

"Thank you for saving me," said Quox. "Druaga had possessed me earlier, and now I can leave. I will return to the tower, but now you must defeat Druaga if you want to get to the top floor and save Ki."

"Okay," said Gil.

Quox flew towards the wall. He went right through it and left. The dragon carcass began to flicker. It eventually disappeared.

Now all the enemies were gone. Now would be time for Druaga to appear before Gil and fight him. Gil drew his sword and approached carefully, for Druaga might surprise him.

Gil found himself in the middle of an eerie mist. He could not see a thing, but he pressed forward. He heard evil laughter coming through the mist.

"Ha ha ha ha!" it said. "Now it's time for you to lose, Gilgamesh!"

Gil took a few steps closer. Suddenly, the mist began to clear up. A huge figure walked out of the mist and opened its arms up. It was Druaga himself, in all his hideousness. He was holding eight swords, one in each hand.

"So," said Druaga. "if it isn't Prince Gilgamesh, here to try to stop me from taking over the world! I have bided my time, waiting for you to come up and try to stop me. But you can't! I am too powerful for you!"

"Oh yeah?" said Gil.

"Consider this," said Druaga, "I have divided the Blue Crystal Rod into three pieces. It seems that you have gotten them all. Now, I can appear in front of you and kill you."

"You think?" said Gil, pacing. "Well, Druaga, I have had help from the goddess Ishtar and recovered all three pieces of the Blue Crystal Rod. This means that I can fight you and maybe I'll win."

"Gilgamesh, you speak foolishness. I am not here to speak small talk. I am here to kill you, which will happen soon if you don't keep your mouth shut, you annoying little brat!"

"Not just yet, Druaga. I also have your Ruby Mace."

"Big deal. You probably didn't even get most of my minions."

"I have also defeated almost all of your henchmen that I have encountered. So _ha ha_ to you!"

Druaga looked around for a while, and then faced Gil once more with his evil yellow eyes. "I see," he said. "They are defeated. But you have not defeated all of them. You will need to engage in battle with more of them if, by some misfortune, you _do_ manage to defeat me."

"Druaga," said Gil. "I can defeat you and rescue Ki. After all, I have protection against you."

"How did you get protection against me?"

"I'm not telling," said Gil. "Only Ishtar should know."

"WHAT?" yelled Druaga, who was turning red. "Shit! I need to find out! You are probably lying to me, Gilgamesh! Now you have deprived me of my patience. Time for you to die!"

Druaga drew his eight swords.

At once Gil drew his sword and made a run for Druaga. The two crossed paths once. While Gil was doing this, he cut at Druaga numerous times, hoping that he would lose health. At first, it had little effect, but then Gil injured Druaga. He still had a lot of health, though.

Druaga screamed and said profanities. "I can't believe you injured me!" he yelled. "Well, there's still a lot of health before I will die. You won't be able to get my health very low!"

Gil rushed at Druaga again. He thrashed his sword at Druaga numerous times. It injured him again. "Damn you, Gilgamesh!" yelled Druaga. "Oh, but you haven't defeated me just yet!"

Gil then ran from Druaga. "Ha ha!" said Druaga. "You fool! Running from me won't work! I can still shoot spells at you to stop you!" He began chasing Gil, shooting green spells along the way. Gil blocked the spells with his shield. He then made a run for Druaga and thrashed him with his sword. The sword injured Druaga again.

"Oh no!" he said. "You're getting good at this!"

Gil ran even further from Druaga. Again, Druaga cast green spells as Gil ran. The power of the Blue Crystal prevented the spells from knocking Gil off his feet. Druaga then cornered Gil. Gil jumped up at him and stabbed him. "You're not supposed to win!" yelled Druaga.

Druaga was still screaming in pain, so Gil ran from him again. When Druaga recovered from his injury, he rushed towards Gil, shooting spells as he went along. He then found Gil standing in the center of the room. Gil jumped towards Druaga and thrashed at him, injuring him yet again. "Damn!" said Druaga. "I've lost half of my health now! But you still haven't stopped me!"

Druaga shot another spell at Gil, which he blocked with his shield. Druaga then made a run for Gil. Gil blocked Druaga's swords with Excalibur, and he stabbed Druaga, who let out a scream. Gil then went behind Druaga and injured him from there. But he was still alive. "I can't believe it!" he said. "I'm losing! But it's not over yet! I can still defeat you!"

"Well," said Gil, "it will be over soon!"

Druaga began banging his eight swords and thrashing at Gil. Little did he know that he still didn't injure him. Gil responded by hacking his sword at Druaga and injuring him again. Druaga let out another scream. Gil then thrashed at Druaga again, injuring him once more.

"Oh no!" yelled Druaga. "You are winning! Pretty soon, I'm going to die! Now what will happen to my plans? I can't believe that I, Druaga, am losing to a human! And _what_ is happening now?"

Druaga saw that the Blue Crystal Rod and the Ruby Mace have risen from Gil and were approaching the ceiling. They were encased by an orb. They let out a light through the tower. The light brightened the darkness of the tower's rooms. This was a sign from Ishtar that Druaga was weak enough to defeat.

"Damn!" screamed Druaga. "Not the light! I hate it!"

The Blue Crystal Rod and the Ruby Mace slowly made their way down and appeared before Gil. Now he would be able to touch it. Gil approached the Blue Crystal Rod and the Ruby Mace and touched them.

Once Gil touched the orb, a blue light and a red light appeared. They mixed together quickly, making a glowing purple light. The light approached Druaga and encased him.

"NOOOOOO!" he screamed.

The light weakened Druaga severely. Now he would only need one hit and then he would die. Eventually, the light wore off, and Gil ran for the now-helpless Druaga and thrashed his sword at him. The Blue Crystal Rod and the Ruby Mace broke out of their orb and disappeared.

Druaga began screaming and lost his balance. He collapsed to the floor. Gil walked over to Druaga. Gil saw that Druaga was still breathing – but not for long. Druaga would let out some last few words to Gil.

"All right, you brat," said Druaga. "I am going to die soon. You think it's going to be all peachy once I'm dead? Think again. There are still more of my henchmen to face before you get out of the tower. I have cast a spell to change the mazes once you begin to make your way down. I cannot wage my war against Anu and the other gods now. I am so angry at you. Is this how it is supposed to be? And if you don't take the Blue Crystal Rod out of the tower or if use it for your own selfish needs, I may rise again and destroy you. So get lost before it's too late. I have to go now. Ugh."

Gil saw Druaga's head lie backwards, and it fell to the floor. He was finally no more. Then, a dark light began to surround Druaga's dead body. It consumed his corpse and disappeared.

Now that Druaga was gone, Gil could go look for the final key which had just appeared. He began looking around for the key. At first he didn't see it, but then he found it in a corner. He picked up the key and used it to go upstairs.


	31. Ki is Rescued

**FLOOR 60**

At last, Gil had reached the top floor of the Tower of Druaga. This was where Ki was located. All Gil would need to do was restore her to human form. He looked in his satchel. He had found that the Gold Pickax had crumbled into bits, but most of his items, including the rods, were still there.

Gil noticed that this floor, as it was when Ki went up here to retrieve the Blue Crystal Rod, was a set of corridors rather than an actual maze. Gil began walking around. He reached the middle of the floor, which he found Ishtar. She was sitting on a throne, looking at Ki.

"Greetings," said Ishtar.

"Hey, Ishtar," said Gil. "I have done everything you told me to do."

"You did it!" said Ishtar, clapping her hands. "You have defeated Druaga! I must say that I am very impressed. And I see that you have recovered the Blue Crystal Rod and the Ruby Mace."

"Yes," said Gil. "I remembered how important they were."

"Okay," said Ishtar. "There's one last thing to do before you can leave the tower. See the stone over there? That is Ki. How do you rescue Ki and restore her to her original form? Well, there are three magic circles. One is two corridors down, one is two corridors up, and the last one is in the corridor with Ki. First, you must go to the lower magic circle and place the Green Crystal Rod there. Then, go to the upper magic circle and place the Red Crystal Rod there. Last, go to the middle magic circle and place the Blue Crystal Rod there. That will rescue Ki from the stone."

"What about the Ruby Mace?" Gil asked.

"I'll take it," said Ishtar. Gil handed Ishtar the Ruby Mace. "I'll return it to Anu. It is powerless now."

"I will start now," said Gil.

Gil walked down to the lower magic circle. He took the Green Crystal Rod out of his satchel and placed it on the circle. The Green Crystal Rod formed a small tower and began to flicker. One rod down, two more to go.

Gil then walked up, past Ishtar and to the upper magic circle. He took the Red Crystal Rod out of his satchel and placed it on the circle. The Red Crystal Rod also formed a small tower and began to flicker. Now there were two rods in place. Only one more rod to go.

Now for the last rod. Gil went over to the middle magic circle. He took out the most important rod, the Blue Crystal Rod, and placed it on the circle. It formed another small tower.

All three rods began to flicker. They also began moving around. They went crazy for a while, flashing around and around. Eventually, all three rods found themselves in the middle. They reformed into one single rod, the Blue Crystal Rod. Then, the stone that was Ki also began to flicker as well. A blue light began flashing. Gil wanted to cover his eyes, but this was the most important transformation of all. Gil just stared at the stone as it lit up. After a while, Gil saw a person coming out. The stone was gone, and in its place was Ki in her original form.

"Hooray!" exclaimed Gil. "Now Ki is back in her human form!"

Gil looked at Ki. She was standing there staring. Then, she looked at her hands and legs, seemingly in disbelief that she was human once more. Gil then saw that Ki was smiling.

Gil ran over to Ki with his arms open. "Ki!" he said, almost wanting to cry. "I'm so glad you're safe! I haven't seen you in a long time! I missed you terribly." He approached Ki and hugged her.

"I'm glad to see you as well," said Ki. "I didn't even know what happened after Druaga turned me into a stone. It's been over a week."

"Well," said Gil, "after I found out that Druaga had captured you, I sought help from Ishtar, who gave me this armor. I ascended the Tower of Druaga and recovered all three rods, which are now one rod again. I was able to fight Druaga and defeat him, thanks to the Blue Crystal Rod. Then, I came up here to save you."

"Thank you for saving me," said Ki. "I really appreciate it. Now then, shouldn't Ishtar speak to us now? I haven't spoken to her in a while, either."

Ishtar came over to Gil and Ki and saw their happiness. And, being the goddess of love, she sensed that Gil and Ki were greatly in love with each other.

"Hello," said Ishtar. "I'm glad that Gil here has rescued Ki from the stone. And now, the Blue Crystal Rod is one again. Good work, Gil!"

"Thank you, Ishtar," said Gil. "I couldn't have done it without you."

Ishtar embraced the pair. "I can see that your love for each other is much stronger than ever," she said. "I would like to make a blessing for this union, that your love will never be broken."

"Really?" said Ki. "Thank you for that, too!"

"You're welcome," said Ishtar. "As much as I'd like to see you get married now, you cannot marry just yet. You need to take the Blue Crystal Rod out the tower. But be warned: Druaga has changed the layout and staircases. You will cover 60 floors, but you won't even recognize them."

Gil and Ki nodded their heads in agreement.

"We'd love to get married," said Gil, "and I know we can't here, on the top floor of the Tower of Druaga with hundreds of monsters below us. So what should we do now?"

"Make your way downstairs," said Ishtar. "I know you can do it! You have the courage inside of you! And now, I must go. I will see you again!" Ishtar disappeared.

Gil and Ki walked over to the Blue Crystal Rod. Ki took the rod out of the small tower and held it up. "With this rod," she said, "I will guide Gil to the exit." Gil smiled and blushed.


	32. The Return of Ishtar

Now that Ishtar had left, Gil and Ki were on their own. Now that Ki had taken the Blue Crystal Rod out of its small tower, she used it to erase the evil in the tower. The pair then looked out the window. They saw that the clouds had finally cleared up and the sun was shining. But, being over a thousand feet above the ground, it would be a while before Gil and Ki would be able to walk on regular soil.

"We are on the 60th floor right now," said Ki. "From here, we will go down. Since you have your sword, I should wield the Blue Crystal Rod. It has the power to let me cast spells." Ki then concentrated for a while and fired a spell. It didn't hit Gil, but instead it hit the wall.

"See?" she said. "It worked! Let's get going, Gil."

Gil nodded his head. The two went to the door that went to the 59th floor and walked downstairs.

_From here begins the journey that makes up The Return of Ishtar, the sequel to The Tower of Druaga. Room names are, for the most part, taken from the actual game. That's why they have these names. It does not exactly follow the game, however. Some rooms are divided into two or more rooms._

**DRUAGA'S GRAVE**

Gil and Ki entered the 59th floor. This was where Gil had defeated Druaga earlier. The pair walked right and found a Purple Vampire. Gil was surprised, since this was a weaker enemy. But Druaga, before dying, had cast a spell to make the enemies stronger with each floor down instead of up.

"I'll deal with this enemy," said Ki. She waved the Blue Crystal Rod and fired a spell at the Purple Vampire. It was killed instantly. The pair walked north and found another Purple Vampire. Ki shot another fire spell. It killed the Purple Vampire. Gil saw the key and picked it up.

Ki saw a treasure chest hidden in a small alcove. She went over to it and picked it up. This treasure chest contained a Light Blue Potion. This potion, like last time, could restore some of Gil's health if he was injured enough.

Gil and Ki pressed forward. They found two Purple Vampires pacing. They were guarding a sign. It said: **R. I. P.** It also had a silhouette of Druaga on it.

"Druaga was that low," said Gil, "that he'd use his last spell to make a memorial of himself? How arrogant of him. Let's just ignore it, though. We should concentrate on fighting the enemies."

Ki attacked one Purple Vampire with a spell. Gil attacked the other Purple Vampire with his sword. Both were defeated. Then, they found yet another Purple Vampire standing near a door. Gil drew his sword and charged at the Purple Vampire, killing it. They opened the door and exited the floor.

**VAMPIRE CHAMBER**

Gil and Ki entered the room. This room had even more Purple Vampires. There were also some Orange Vampires. As soon as the pair entered the room, a Purple Vampire approached them. Ki killed it with a spell.

They walked to the right and found another Purple Vampire. Ki killed it with a fireball. An Orange Vampire then approached them. Gil charged at the Orange Vampire, killing it.

Gil then saw the key and picked it up. He found another Orange Vampire standing near him. He slew it quickly. Meanwhile, Ki was fighting two Purple Vampires. She managed to get rid of both of them by the time Gil came up to her.

The door was nearby. Two Orange Vampires were guarding it, but Gil charged at them and impaled them. He then used the key to go downstairs.

**OBSERVATORY**

This was the room that Gil had had the debate with Succubus earlier. It looked completely different now. Gil and Ki walked forward. There were many Green Slimes in front of them. The pair took out the slimes one by one. The Green Slimes died very easily.

The pair walked around the room. They found a hallway where there were Orange Vampires. Gil charged at them with his sword and the vampires died. Then, Ki caught up with Gil. She found two Green Vampires standing near the key. She took them out with a fireball. Gil spotted a treasure chest in an alcove and told Ki to open it. She went over to the chest and opened it up. Inside was a scroll. This scroll, when possessed, would enable Ki to use lightning bolts, which were more powerful than fireballs.

Ki walked over to the key and picked it up. The two walked back to their starting point, found another door nearby, and used the key to open it up.

**FOOD STORAGE**

Gil and Ki walked in the room. They saw many slimes, Green Slimes and Black Slimes, hopping around. Gil drew his sword and charged at the Green Slimes. Ki focused on using her magic to destroy the Black Slimes.

Then, Gil saw something suspicious. There was a treasure chest, but it had a smell coming out of it. It was a pleasant smell. "Ki!" yelled Gil. "Come here!"

Ki went over to the treasure chest. She and Gil opened it up. Inside was food: bread and cheese for Druaga's minions. He had hidden it from Gil when he went up, but now that the mazes were reorganized, the food appeared again.

"I haven't eaten in days," said Ki. "Let's eat." The two quickly ate the food, and then they got back to work. They slew the remaining slimes, found the key, and exited the floor.

**SHUNNED CAVERN**

Gil and Ki entered the room. An Orange Vampire approached them. Gil impaled it with his sword. Once it died, the pair moved forward. They found a multitude of Orange Vampires and Green Vampires.

Gil attacked some of the vampires with his sword, while Ki focused on the rest with her magic. The vampires fell down and, once all dead, piled up and disappeared. Then, the pair was approached by a Black Slime. Ki shot a lightning bolt and the slime splattered.

Ki found the key in a corner and used it to open the door. She and Gil went downstairs.

**EMPTY CISTERN**

When Gil and Ki entered the room, they noticed that there were a number of open doors. Only one would lead downstairs. The rest of them had enemies inside.

"Which one should we go down?" asked Gil.

"Let's see," said Ki.

There was a Mage teleporting around the room. Gil blocked his spell with his shield and stabbed him with his sword. Another Mage appeared next. Gil repeated the process with this Mage.

After Gil had killed both of the Mages, he and Ki checked the leftmost opening. A Black Vampire walked out of it. Gil unsheathed his sword and stabbed the Black Vampire. This was not the right doorway.

Next, Gil and Ki looked in the center opening. Two snakes came out of it. Ki shot a spell at them. It hit both of the snakes and killed them. This was not the right doorway, either.

Next, the pair looked in the opening to the right. This doorway had a staircase leading downwards. "We found the right staircase," said Gil. "Let's go downstairs."

The two went down the stairs.

**WATER LINE**

This room had a stream going through it. This stream had been left there by Druaga in hoping that Gil and Ki would slip. "The stream is blocking the way out," said Ki. "We need to find something to get across."

Gil looked around. He found a pair of Red Slimes. He drew his sword and impaled them. They were guarding a treasure. Inside was a wooden board. This could be used to get across.

"Good job," said Ki. "Now let's get to the door."

Gil and Ki put the board on the floor. The pair walked across. The board then stopped the stream from flowing and dried it up. Blue Slimes rose from the water. Ki fought some with fireballs and lightning bolts, and Gil fought the rest with his sword. The Slimes all died.

In the remains of the slimes was a key. Gil picked it up and used it to open the door. He and Ki exited the floor.

**COLOSSEUM**

This floor was a large, empty room with two corridors to the side. Gil and Ki, who entered in one of the corridors, made their way into the open room and found that there were many knights: Blue Knights and Black Knights.

Ki shot lightning bolts at the knights. This knocked them off their feet. Gil charged at the nights, slaying many of them. Eventually, all of the knights were dead. Gil found the key in the pile of ruined armor and picked it up.

The pair walked over to the door in the other corridor. They used the key to open the door and exit the floor.

**TRAINING YARD**

Gil and Ki walked in the room. This room had Mirror Knights and Mages in it. A Mage zapped a spell at Gil, but he blocked it with his shield. He then charged at the Mage and slew him. Ki walked over to a Mirror Knight. She shot a fireball at him and he died. She then found the key and picked it up.

Gil walked over to an alcove. He found a treasure chest. He opened it up and found a scroll. This scroll gave Ki the ability of protection from enemies. The effect was temporary, but rechargeable. Gil gave the scroll to Ki.

The pair fought all of the other Mages and Mirror Knights. Then they used the key to exit the floor.

**SMALL DOME**

The pair entered the room. They saw a ton of knights in there. There were Blue Knights and Black Knights. There were also bats flying around the room.

Ki approached the bats and used a lightning spell. Many of them fell to the ground. Finally, the "undefeatable" bats were vulnerable. She shot another lightning spell and killed the rest of them. Gil focused on the knights. However, he was having trouble with so many knights. Ki assisted him by shooting fireballs and lightning bolts at the knights. By working together, Gil and Ki managed to kill all of the knights.

Now that the room was empty, Gil and Ki walked around. They found the key in an alcove and picked it up. They used the key to open the door and exit the floor.

**SOLARIUM**

There were more bats in this room and also many Blue Knights. Gil drew his sword and attacked the Blue Knights. They fell to the ground and died. Ki focused on killing the bats. She used a protection spell to shield herself against damage, which could easily damage Ki's unarmored body otherwise. Ki used fireballs and lightning bolts to kill the bats.

Gil had been injured badly, so he drank the Light Blue Potion to restore his health. He met up with Ki. The two approached the door and used the key to exit the floor.


	33. Down The Tower

**REST ROOM**

Gil and Ki walked in the room. They saw that there were many Green Ropers moving around. Gil drew his sword and fought the Green Roper that was closest to him. Ki took on the second closest Green Roper with lightning bolts. Once these ropers died, the rest of the Green Ropers ganged up on Gil and Ki.

Ki spotted a treasure near her. She looked inside of it. Inside the treasure chest was another scroll. Ki read the scroll. It said that she could now use sparks of light. These were more powerful than lightning bolts.

Ki tested the sparks of light out on the Green Ropers. She attacked numerous ropers with her spells. She managed to defeat most of the Green Ropers. Gil attacked and killed the rest of the Green Ropers with his sword. The pair then found the key and used it to exit the floor.

**PARTY ROOM**

This room had a ton of Blue Knights and Black Knights running amok. There were also flying around. The knights approached Gil and Ki. Ki began shooting sparks at some of them, knocking over and killing them. Gil attacked the rest of the knights with his sword.

After the knights were all dead, Gil went to get the key. Ki, meanwhile, focused on killing the bats with lightning bolts and sparks. At once, all of the bats fell to the ground. The pair went to the door, opened it, and exited the floor.

**LARGE HALL**

Gil and Ki entered the room. They saw that it was a large, open room. There were Green Vampires and Black Vampires running around the room.

Gil drew his sword and impaled a Green Vampire. Ki focused on two Black Vampires, shooting sparks at them to kill them. As more Green Vampires and Black Vampires ganged up on them, the pair fought them off. Gil used his sword to fight them, while Ki used her magic. Eventually, all of the vampires were dead.

Ki looked to an alcove near the door. There was a treasure chest sitting there. She walked over to it and opened it up. Inside was another Light Blue Potion that could be used to heal Gil. Gil, meanwhile, went to get the key. The pair went to the door, opened it, and went downstairs.

**DINING ROOM I**

Gil and Ki found themselves in an alcove. There were three alcoves in all, each one with a door. One of these doors, however, was a trap and would lock Gil and Ki inside if it was opened. There was only one key, though, which could be used to open both doors.

More Green Ropers roamed this room. Gil and Ki walked into the center and found about six of them. Gil drew his sword and charged at two of them. They were immediately impaled. Ki used fireballs and sparks to fight the rest of the Green Ropers. She killed them all.

Gil and Ki found the key in the center of the room and picked it up. This key would give the signal on which door was the real one. The real door would shine with the gold color of the key. The pair walked over to the center door first. This door was not shining, so obviously it was the trap door. Then, they walked over to the right door. This door was shining brightly.

"This is the right one," said Ki. The two opened the door and exited the floor.

**DINING ROOM II**

This room looked exactly like Dining Room I, but instead of starting in the left alcove, Gil and Ki started in the right alcove. Naturally, there was another trap door. They figured that the center one was the trap door, so they avoided it and went to the main part of the room.

There were snakes slithering all around the room. Gil drew his sword again and made a run for the snakes. He killed about half a dozen snakes. Ki used sparks to kill about four snakes. Now all of the snakes were dead.

Gil found the key in an alcove. He and Ki approached the right door, opened it, and exited the floor.

**GREEN COURT**

As the name suggested, all the enemies in this room were of a green coloring. This room had Green Slimes and Green Ropers. There were dozens of enemies in the room. However, they would be no match for Gil and Ki's strength.

About eleven Green Slimes approached Gil and Ki. Ki shot fireballs at the four slimes that were in front of her. Gil thrashed at the other seven with his sword. All of the Green Slimes splattered to the ground.

Gil and Ki then found themselves in front of a combined total of 20 Green Slimes and Green Ropers. Gil chased down the Green Slimes with his sword and slew them. Ki used protection to brace herself. From there she attacked all of the Green Ropers and killed them with sparks.

Once all of the enemies were gone, Gil and Ki found the key on the floor. They used it to open the door and exit the floor.

**KNIGHT'S CHAMBER**

Like how the Green Court was full of green enemies, this room was full of knights. All the types of knights that Gil had encountered on his ascent of the tower were represented in this room.

First, two Blue Knights approached Gil and Ki. Ki used a spark to knock over the Blue Knights. Then, three Black Knights appeared. Gil fought them with his sword. Meanwhile, Ki found a treasure chest and opened it up. Inside was another scroll. This scroll would allow Ki to put enemies to sleep. However, it would only work three times, and then she would lose the spell.

A Mirror Knight approached the pair. Ki used a spark to kill him. Then, a Lizard Man appeared. Ki shot another spark and slew him. Now, three Red Knights walked over to Gil and Ki. Gil fought the Red Knights with his sword. He managed to kill two of them. Ki assisted Gil by shooting lightning bolts at the Red Knight, killing him. One of them was guarding the key. Gil went over to it and picked it up.

Lastly, two Hyper Knights approached Gil and Ki. Gil drew his sword and attacked one of the Hyper Knights. Despite Gil's strength, this Hyper Knight was quite tough. Ki fought the other Hyper Knight with a spark. It took several sparks to kill this one. The pair then went over to the door and used the key to open it. They went downstairs.

**JUNCTION**

This room was like the Dining Rooms in that it had multiple doors. This room had eight in all. Only one of them would lead Gil and Ki downstairs, though.

First, Gil drank the Light Blue Potion to heal himself. Then, he and Ki walked in the room and looked around. They found several Blue Slimes. They shot spells, which Gil blocked with his shield. Ki shot sparks at the Blue Slimes and killed them. Then, she found several Yellow Slimes and Pink Slimes. She repeated the process with them.

Gil walked over to a small alcove. There was a treasure chest. Gil opened it up. He found a note inside. He read the note: **Of the eight doors, look for the one with the green circle above it.**

"That will be easy," said Gil. "I passed by a door with a green circle above it earlier."

Gil showed Ki the note. After they read it, Gil and Ki made their way to the green door. The key was before it. Ki picked up the key and used it to open the door. The pair exited the floor.

**SACRED CHAMBER**

This room had Mirror Knights and Red Ropers running around. There were also Sorcerers teleporting around the room. Ki put up a protection barrier so she would not be hit.

Gil and Ki encountered two Sorcerers. Gil blocked the Sorcerers' spells with his shield and charged at them. They both died immediately. Then, a bunch of Mirror Knights and Red Ropers approached the two. Ki used the sleep spell to put the enemies to sleep.

Gil then walked forward with his sword drawn. He impaled two Ropers. He then concentrated on fighting the enemies one at a time. Ki helped Gil by firing lightning bolts and sparks at the enemies. Eventually, all of the enemies had fallen.

Ki saw a treasure chest in an alcove and opened it. The treasure chest contained power for another spell. This enabled Ki to shoot ice beams, which were even more powerful than sparks.

Ki found the key in an alcove. She went to the door and used it to get her and Gil off of the floor.

**TRAP CEILING**

Gil and Ki looked at the door that was located near them. They noticed that it wasn't like the other doors. Gil found the key nearby. But when he used it to open the door, it just consumed the key.

"Damn!" said Gil. "The stupid door ate the key!"

"There's probably another way out," said Ki.

"Where?" asked Gil.

"Over there," said Ki. "Look at the doors. One of them should lead down a floor."

Ki looked at the ground. She noticed that there were a few trap doors on the other side of the room. First, a Mirror Knight and two Mages approached the pair. Ki took out the Mages with ice beams, while Gil killed the Mirror Knight with his sword.

Near one of the trap doors was another key. Ki picked it up. "Perhaps one of these doors will lead us downstairs," she said.

"Let's try it," said Gil.

The pair walked towards the center door and opened it. When they walked through it, they fell right through a hole…

**TROPHY ROOM**

…and they landed in the Trophy Room, one floor down. The pair saw Druids teleporting around, as well as Blue Ropers sleeping. Ki encountered two Druids. She dodged their spells and took them out with her own spells.

Ki then walked towards a treasure chest. She opened it up. Inside the treasure chest was a Blue Potion. Just like before, the Blue Potion was stronger than the Light Blue Potion.

Gil then went to get the key. He had awakened the Blue Ropers in the process. Ki walked towards the Blue Ropers and shot ice beams at them. This killed the ropers. Then, the pair walked to the door and opened it.

**MUSEUM**

This floor had bats flying around. There were also Druids and Wizards teleporting across the room. Since there were so many magicians, Ki decided to put up a protection shield to prevent them from injuring her.

Gil and Ki walked across the room. A bunch of bats flew into Ki, but she attacked and killed them with ice beams. Gil, meanwhile, hunted down the Druids and Wizards one by one. Whenever they shot spells at him, he blocked them with his shield. He then found the key. The pair used it to exit the floor.

From here, Gil and Ki entered a small room. Here they would rest for the night. The next morning, the pair left the room.


	34. Through the Mazes

**RED COURT**

This room was similar to the Green Court. However, instead of green enemies, all of the enemies in the Red Court were of a red color. There were Red Slimes, Red Ropers, and Red Knights.

Gil and Ki found themselves in front of at least a dozen Red Slimes. Gil drew his sword and began attacking the Red Slimes with his sword, blocking the slimes' spells as they shot them. He managed to kill them all.

Ki focused on the seven Red Ropers that were moving across the room. She shot ice beams at them. The ice beams were very effective against the ropers and killed them all in only a few hits. Ki then found the key in the center of the room and picked it up.

Before they would go downstairs, the pair found several Red Knights. The Red Knights charged at them with their swords drawn. Gil used his sword to block their power. Ki shot ice beams at them to kill them. Once the Red Knights were all dead, Gil and Ki used the key to open the door and go downstairs.

**QUOX'S LABYRINTH**

Gil and Ki entered the room. This room was a large labyrinth. It would be much harder now that Gil no longer had a pickax. The pair had to be careful not to get lost. Every now and them, a Dark Yellow Slime would be encountered.

When the pair started walking, they found a Dark Yellow Slime. Gil drew his sword and attacked the slime, killing it. The pair then approached another Dark Yellow Slime. Ki killed it with an ice beam.

"We might get lost," said Gil.

"There's got to be a map around here," said Ki.

"Let's look in this alcove," said Gil.

Gil looked in the alcove. He found a treasure chest and opened it. Inside the treasure chest was a floor map. It had directions written on it: **From here, go left, up, right, up, up, left, left, left, down, right. You will then find the key and the door.**

"Okay," said Gil. "Let's do it."

Gil and Ki followed the directions given on the map. In the process, they found three Dark Yellow Slimes and a Hyper Knight. Ki took out the Dark Yellow Slimes with ice beams, while Gil slew the Hyper Knight with his sword. Eventually, the pair found the key. Gil picked it up and used it to open the door. The two exited the floor.

**THIEF'S HIDEOUT I**

This floor was a mazelike room. Gil and Ki could also easily get lost in this room. They decided to look around for another map. At first, they could not find one. But after walking around for five minutes, they came across a treasure chest. Gil opened it up. Inside this chest was another floor map.

"All right!" said Gil. "We found another floor map!"

"Let's see the directions," said Ki.

The directions on the map were listed as this: **Go straight to your left until you find a junction. Then go up until you find a turn to your right. Go right and the door will be there.**

"Let's go," said Gil.

Gil and Ki made a turn to their left and went straight from there. They found several Dark Green Slimes hopping around. Ki shot ice beams at them and killed every single one.

The pair came to the junction and went up. Ki found the key lying down. There were more Dark Green Slimes, shooting spells as they hopped. Gil blocked their spells with his shield and charged at them. The Dark Green Slimes splattered to the floor.

When the pair reached a turn, they went right. They found the door at the end. Ki used the key to open the door. The pair exited the floor.

**THIEF'S HIDEOUT II**

Gil and Ki found themselves in a room similar to the first part of the Thief's Hideout. However, this floor was not as mazy. The instructions were on the back of the map of the previous room. The instructions were this: **Make a left from your start, then go down, and then right. You will find the door at the end of the hallway. There is also a treasure.**

Gil and Ki went to the left. There were a few more Dark Green Slimes, which Gil dispatched with his sword. Then, the pair went down. There were Land Urchins to one side. Gil and Ki managed to avoid them by keeping to the wall on the other side of the hall.

The two encountered another treasure chest. Ki opened it up. Inside was a scroll. It contained the power of Heat, the status that enabled Gil to crash through enemies on his ascent. Ki could cast the spell on Gil to give him Heat. However, like the sleep spell, she could only use it three times.

The pair then turned to the right. A Black Knight was guarding the key. Ki used ice beams to kill the Black Knight. Gil proceeded to pick up the key. The pair then approached the door and used the key to exit the floor.

**GOBLIN'S LAIR**

This room was yet another labyrinth. Gil and Ki saw that there were many bats and snakes running around. The pair went down from their starting point and found a snake. Ki shot an ice beam at the snake and froze it. Next, the pair encountered two bats. Ki also took them out with an ice beam.

"Do you think there's another map?" asked Gil.

"No," said Ki. "But this maze looks much simpler than the previous two. The maze here seems to be pretty linear."

"That's good," said Gil.

Gil and Ki reached a corner and turned right, where they were met by more snakes. Gil took the snakes out with his sword. After that, they encountered a swarm of bats. Ki shot sparks and ice beams to kill them.

Once the pair reached another corner, they came across another treasure chest. Ki opened it up. Inside was another scroll. This scroll would give Ki the ability to reflect spells. It was not as strong as the protection, but it was much easier to recharge.

Gil and Ki turned to their right again. There they found the key, which Ki picked up. There were also plenty of bats and snakes. Gil slew the snakes with his sword, while Ki focused on killing the bats with her spells. Once all of the enemies were dead, Gil and Ki made their way to the door. They used the key to open it and go downstairs.

**DORMITORY**

This was another room infested with knights. There were Black Knights and Mirror Knights. Gil and Ki walked around. They encountered a Black Knight. Ki shot an ice beam at the knight, killing him.

Gil found the key in a corner. He was then approached by four Mirror Knights. After picking up the key, Gil drew his sword and charged at the Mirror Knights, killing them one at a time. Ki found another Black Knight behind her. She put up a protection shield to protect herself, and then shot a spell at the Black Knight. She managed to kill him.

Gil and Ki turned to their left. There were even more knights. The pair decided to kill them one by one. Gil hacked away at the knights with his sword. Ki shot spells at the knights. Pretty soon, all of the knights were dead. Gil and Ki came to a junction and turned around. They found one last Black Knight, which Gil easily dispatched. The pair then saw the door at the end of the hallway. They used the key to open the door and exit the floor.

**MAZE PASSAGE**

"Oh, no!" said Gil as he walked in. "Yet another labyrinth!"

"I know," said Ki, "But let's get through."

This maze had plenty of Blue Ropers and Yellow Ropers running around. There were also a few bats flying through the maze.

First, Gil and Ki encountered the bats. Ki easily disposed of the bats with lightning bolts and sparks. Then, after walking a bit further, the pair found a couple of Blue Ropers. Gil charged at the Blue Ropers, killing them. Then, at a four-way junction, the pair found a Yellow Roper. First, Ki tried fighting alone. But it took a while to bring it down. Gil helped her by thrashing at it with his sword. By working together, the two managed to kill the Yellow Roper quickly.

The pair came to a three-way intersection and found the key and a treasure chest. Gil picked up the key. Ki opened up the treasure chest. Inside the treasure chest was another map. This one had directions, too: **Go straight up until you find a corner. Then go left, down, left, down, and right. You will then find the door.**

Gil and Ki followed the map's directions. They encountered more Blue Ropers and Yellow Ropers along the way. First, Ki put the ropers to sleep. Next, she and Gil killed them one by one. The ropers all died. The pair eventually found the door, opened it, and went downstairs.

**PASSWAY**

Finally, there was a room that was rather simple. There were a few mazes, but this room was mostly straight. When Gil looked around, he sighed in relief. Then, Gil sighted a treasure chest. He approached the chest and opened it up. Inside was another Blue Potion.

There were a few Mages and Sorcerers in this room. First, a Mage appeared in front of Gil. He blocked the Mage's spell with his shield, then attacked and killed the Mage itself. Then, a Sorcerer approached the pair. Ki took him out with an ice beam. Next, three more Mages appeared. Gil blocked their spells while Ki shot lightning bolts at them. After they died, Gil and Ki found two more Sorcerers. Gil took them out with his sword.

The pair found the key in the center of the room. Ki picked it up. Then, Gil and Ki went to the end of the right hallway and found a door. They used the key to open the door and went downstairs.

**LIBRARY**

This was an odd room. It looked like the top floor of the tower, but the inner walls did not end at the left side of the room. There were five corridors. Gil and Ki were on the second from the bottom

Gil and Ki walked around. They went into the center corridor. There were five Wizards shooting spells at them. Ki used the reflection spell to put up a barrier. Gil drew his sword and charged at them, using his shield to block their spells. He managed to kill three of them, with Ki killing the other two with her magic. There was a treasure chest located in an alcove. Gil walked over to it and opened it up. Inside the treasure chest was another Blue Potion.

The pair walked in the second corridor from the top, which had a number of Land Urchins. Gil and Ki kept to the wall to avoid the Land Urchins. Ki found the key at the end of the corridor. The pair then went to the center of the topmost corridor and found the door. They opened it and went downstairs.

**AUDIENCE HALL I**

Gil and Ki entered the room. This one didn't have that many corridors. Instead, it was a large, open room. There were Mirror Knights, Black Knights, and Hyper Knights running around.

First, several Black Knights approached the pair. Then, a group of Mirror Knights and Hyper Knights approached them. Ki put up a protection shield, but it could only protect her. So she used the Heat spell on Gil. This gave Gil a dark red glow like last time. He began running around, crashing into enemies and torching them. He was able to kill most of the knights.

Eventually, the heat wore off. Gil found the key in the center of the room and picked it up. Ki fought the rest of the knights with ice beams. Eventually, all of the knights died. The pair used the key to open the door and exit the floor.

**AUDIENCE HALL II**

This room was much like the first Audience Hall. However, there were not as many knights. Each type of knight in the first Audience Hall was represented.

Gil and Ki took it easy this time. Gil fought off the knights with his sword. First he focused on the Black Knights, then the Mirror Knights, and finally the Hyper Knights. Once all the knights were dead, however, three Sorcerers appeared. Gil killed one of them with his sword. Ki put up a barrier to block the spells. She then used her own to kill the remaining two Sorcerers. After the Sorcerers all died, Ki found the key. The pair was able to open the door and go downstairs.

**QUEEN'S ROOM**

This room had some inner walls, but it was still easily navigable. This floor also had Hyper Knights. There were Mages and Lizard Men as well.

First, the Hyper Knights approached Gil and Ki. Gil unsheathed his sword and charged at them. The Hyper Knights took some time to fight, but they eventually died. Next were the Lizard Men. Gil used his sword against some of them while Ki shot ice beams at the others. After they died, Gil drank a Blue Potion to heal himself.

Ki saw a treasure chest in an alcove. She walked over to it and opened it up. Inside was another scroll. This would enable Ki to cast flamethrowers, which were even more powerful than ice beams. She also found the key nearby.

Next were the Mages. They wouldn't be a problem for Ki now that she could shoot flamethrowers. Ki cast flamethrowers at the Mages and burned them all. She and Gil then used the key to open the door and go downstairs.


	35. Getting More Power

**ANTECHAMBER**

Gil and Ki looked around as they entered the room. There were many Yellow Ropers all around the room. However, they were the only type of enemy present here.

The pair walked around. They found a Yellow Roper standing before them. Ki shot a flamethrower and killed the Yellow Roper easily. Then, another Yellow Roper appeared. Gil attacked it with his sword while Ki shot ice beams at it. Two more Yellow Ropers were sleeping nearby. Gil charged at them to wake them up. The Yellow Ropers instantly awoke and moved towards the pair. Gil attacked them with his sword and killed both of them. One of the ropers was covering the key. Gil went over to it and picked it up.

There were more Yellow Ropers between Gil and Ki and the door. First, two Yellow Ropers approached the pair. Gil charged at them with his sword and killed them. Next, two more Yellow Ropers appeared. Ki took them out with flamethrowers. Ki shot more flamethrowers at the Yellow Ropers, killing them. Next, the pair found four more Yellow Ropers. Gil attacked two of them with his sword, killing them. Ki shot flamethrowers to kill the other two Yellow Ropers. After all the Yellow Ropers died, the pair found the door. They opened the door and exited the floor.

**KING'S ROOM**

This room had plenty of knights. There were Black Knights, Mirror Knights, and Hyper Knights. Many of them were running around. A few were even guarding the way out.

At once, Gil sighted a treasure chest. He went over to it and opened it. Inside was yet another scroll. This one, however, was for him to use instead of Ki. This would increase his attack and defense power, which had slightly worn off after he completed his ascent of the tower. Now most of the stronger enemies would be no match for him.

Two Hyper Knights came over to Gil. Gil responded to them by thrashing at them with his sword. With his rediscovered strength, the Hyper Knights died quickly. Gil looked in the alcove to the right of him. The key was located inside of it. Gil went inside and picked up the key.

Gil went back to where Ki was. She was fighting off several Black Knights with flamethrowers. Gil assisted Ki by attacking the knights with his sword. Their combined strength killed the Black Knights very quickly.

Now there were a few Mirror Knights near the end of the hallway. Gil approached the Mirror Knights with his sword drawn. He attacked and killed them all quickly. Meanwhile, Ki fought a Hyper Knight that had approached her. She shot a flamethrower to dispose of him.

The knights were all dead. Now Gil and Ki could safely make their way to the door and leave. When they approached the door, they used the key to open it and exit the floor.

**THRONE ROOM**

This room was more of an open room than the previous one. There were much fewer enemies in here. The only enemies represented in the Throne Room were Mages and Lizard Men.

At once, two Mages teleported in front of Gil and Ki. Ki shot ice beams at them to kill them. Next, the pair pressed forward. They found themselves in the middle of about a dozen Lizard Men. Ki put up a protection shield to brace herself. She shot ice beams and flamethrowers at the Lizard Men. She was able to kill about half of them. Gil focused on the rest of them with his sword. They managed to kill all of the Lizard Men together.

"That was hard," said Ki. "I wish I could jump over them like last time, but Druaga had taken away the power of levitation from my tiara."

After all of the enemies were dead, the pair found the key, which the Lizard Men had been standing over. Ki picked it up. The pair went to the door, opened it, and exited the floor.

**ATTENDANTS' ROOM **

This room had an open area in the bottom center. In the exact center were three doors. The one on the left was the one that Gil and Ki entered the room from. The two others were believed to be exits. However, only one of them was the real exit. The other was a trap door. The rest of the room was rather labyrinthine.

Gil and Ki looked for enemies in the mazy areas of the room carefully. There were Druids, Lizard Men, and snakes. First, the snakes approached the pair. Gil attacked them with his sword and was able to hack off their heads. Next, four Druids teleported near the two, one in each direction. Ki put up a barrier. She then shot ice beams at the Druids, killing each one of them.

Eventually, the pair reached the leftmost corridor. They looked in an alcove at the upper left corner. Inside was a Green Potion. Like it was on Gil's ascent of the tower, this was the best potion of all, and could completely heal him. The pair walked straight down until they came to the lower left corner, where they found the key. Ki picked it up.

Now there were the Lizard Men to fight. As soon as Ki picked up the key, the pair found several Lizard Men running right for them. Ki put up a protection shield, which had worn off at the end of the previous floor. Gil attacked the Lizard Men closer to him with his sword, while Ki shot flamethrowers at the rest. The Lizard Men all died.

Gil and Ki reached the doors. The key gave the signal to which one was the real door. It turned out that the door in the center was the trap door and the door to the right was real. The pair opened the right door and exited the floor.

**COMMON HALL**

This floor was made up of three open rooms. There were Blue Ropers, Mages, and Wizards on this floor.

Gil and Ki entered in the exact middle, which was in the center room. This room had plenty of Mages and Wizards. They shot spells like crazy. Gil blocked their spells with his shield while Ki shot flamethrowers at the magicians, killing them all.

The pair then went to the left room. There were Blue Ropers sleeping in this room. Gil walked closer to one of them. It woke up instantly and moved around. Gil attacked the Blue Roper and killed it. There were three other ropers in the room, though. Gil charged at each Blue Roper one at a time, slaying each one as he went. This exhausted Gil and he decided to drink his Blue Potion.

"The Green Potions can wait until we really need them," said Gil. "I was just wondering. Do you still have the Blue Crystal Rod? I had ignored it before."

"Yes," said Ki. "I have it fastened around my belt."

One of the ropers had been covering the key. Gil picked up the key. He and Ki then went into the center room and then the right room. There were four more Blue Ropers. Gil killed two of them with his sword, while Ki shot flamethrowers to kill the other two. The pair then opened the door and exited the floor.

**CLOSET**

Gil and Ki entered the room. This room had a lot of bats flying around. There were also a few Druids and Wizards teleporting across the room.

First, the pair focused on the magicians. Ki put up a barrier to block the magicians' spells. A Druid teleported in front of Gil. Gil blocked the spell with his shield, and then stabbed the Druid. Then, another Druid appeared. Gil stabbed him as well. Next, three Wizards appeared in front of the group. Gil killed two of them with his sword. Ki killed the last Wizard with an ice beam.

Next were the bats. Gil and Ki walked around for a while, when suddenly, a swarm of bats swooped down and began attacking Gil. "Help me, Ki!" he cried.

Ki responded to Gil's scream by shooting flamethrowers at the bats. The bats melted and their ashes fell to the ground. Gil was freed from their grasp.

"Thank you," said Gil.

"No problem," said Ki.

"Now let's get the key," said Gil.

The pair found the key in an alcove. They found the door in the same alcove and opened it. Gil and Ki exited the floor.

**SERVANTS' HALL**

This room was actually like a day at the beach compared to many of the rooms before it. There were mostly Dark Yellow Slimes and Dark Green Slimes. A few Mirror Knights were also present.

First, the Mirror Knights appeared. They drew their swords and charged at Gil and Ki. Ki killed the one closest to her by casting a flamethrower. Gil killed the other two with his sword. Then, the pair moved on. They found many Dark Yellow Slimes and Dark Green Slimes. Gil blocked their spells with his shield, while Ki shot flamethrowers at them. The slimes died pretty quickly.

There was a treasure chest located in an alcove. The key was located nearby. Gil picked up the key. Ki walked up to the treasure chest and opened it up. Inside the chest was another scroll. This scroll would enable Ki to cast a smokescreen, blinding all of the enemies for the rest of a floor. However, this time it could only be used once, so Ki had to be careful when to use it.

Gil and Ki found the door in another alcove. They used the key to open it up and exit the floor.

**BLUE COURT**

This floor was much like the Green Court and the Red Court before it. This time, though, all the enemies within this room were of a blue color. There were Blue Slimes, Blue Knights, and Blue Ropers in this room.

The floor was filled to capacity, so Ki went forward, where there was a great concentration of Blue Knights, and put them to sleep. This, however, would be the last time she could put enemies to sleep; the spell had broken. She quickly killed the Blue Knights by shooting flamethrowers.

The pair then entered the main section of the room. There were many Blue Slimes and a few Blue Ropers in here. The pair decided that Gil would focus on killing the slimes, while Ki would find the key. Gil killed the Blue Slimes one by one, blocking their spells as he went along. Ki went over to a sleeping Blue Roper and woke it up. She shot a flamethrower and killed the Blue Roper as it tried to attack her. She then picked up the key.

Gil had just finished killing all of the Blue Slimes. Now there were three Blue Ropers left. Gil slew the one that was nearest to him, while Ki killed the other two with flamethrowers. The pair found the door and used the key to exit the floor.

**SECRET CORRIDOR**

This floor, unfortunately, was another maze. The good thing was that the enemies weren't very diverse. The only type of enemy represented on this floor was the Pink Roper, the mightiest of the ropers.

Gil and Ki moved from their starting point. They found two Pink Ropers moving towards them. Ki attacked and killed them with flamethrowers, but they took a while for her to defeat. Then, the pair found themselves in a small open area. There were two more Pink Ropers here. When Gil and Ki left the open area, the Pink Ropers chased them. They pursued the pair for minutes on end. Gil and Ki tried hiding in an alcove. Gil then went out and found that a third Pink Roper had joined the two. Ki put up a protection shield and went out to help Gil. Gil killed two Pink Ropers with his sword, and Ki killed the other one with flamethrowers.

Ki walked to the right and straight from there until she encountered another treasure chest. She opened it up. Inside was a scroll. This scroll enabled Ki to shoot killer clouds, which were more powerful than flamethrowers and the second-most powerful spell. Ki then went back to Gil, who had been approached by two more Pink Ropers. Ki tested out the killer clouds. When she cast the spell, the Pink Ropers died very quickly.

The pair traced their steps back to a three-way intersection and went right. Inside was another Pink Roper. The pair moved forward for a little while, and another Pink Roper joined the first one. Ki shot flamethrowers at the ropers, while Gil thrashed at them with his sword. After the Pink Ropers died, the pair found the key in an alcove. Gil picked it up.

Gil and Ki went back to the three-way intersection and went down. When they found the intersection that Ki found the treasure in one direction, the pair went in the direction that they didn't go through. Soon, the pair found one last Pink Roper. Gil attacked and killed the roper with his sword. The two walked a little further and found the door. They opened it up and went downstairs.

**FORBIDDEN HALL**

Gil and Ki walked in the room. This floor was completely empty. There was not an enemy to be seen. This looked simple…or did it?

The pair made their way around the room. They found the key near their starting point, which Gil picked up. They walked to the top of the room and found a door nearby. But when Gil tried to use the key to open the door, the door turned the key into dust.

"Shit!" said Gil. "The door ate the key again!"

"Hmm…" said Ki. "There must be another way to get out of this room."

"How?" asked Gil.

The two walked around more. They looked around for another key. However, there was no other key. The one that the door ate was the only one. Eventually, when Ki stepped over a certain part of the floor, it looked suspicious.

"I wonder what's in here?" she said. "Gil, do you see this?"

"I do," said Gil.

"Let's try walking on it together," said Ki.

Gil and Ki walked on the suspicious part of the floor together. When they were both standing on it, the floor opened up and Gil and Ki were going down a chute. They had exited the floor.

**ANCIENT RUIN**

Gil and Ki had slid into the Ancient Ruin, one floor down from the Forbidden Hall. There were Hyper Knights and Green Ropers running around.

Gil went over to the Hyper Knights and began charging at them. He killed them one by one until they were all dead. After that, he went back to Ki. The pair then went to the other side of the room, where there were five Green Ropers. Gil lured the ropers so that they would chase him in a cluster. This enabled Ki to pick up the key. Then, Ki ran over to the Green Ropers and shot a killer cloud, killing them all. The pair found the door, opened it, and went downstairs.

**COMMON CHAMBER**

This room had many Black Knights, Red Knights, and Druids through the room. Gil and Ki found themselves near three Druids. Gil blocked their spells with his shield, while Ki took them out with flamethrowers.

The pair approached the center of the room, where they found the Black Knights and Red Knights. Gil attacked them with his sword, while Ki put up a protection shield to avoid confrontation. She found the key in an alcove. When we went back, Gil had defeated most of the knights. Ki shot flamethrowers at the knights to finish them off. The pair then found the door. They used the key to open it and exit the floor.


	36. Near the Bottom

**VANGUARD ROOM**

This room had more Red Knights and Lizard Men as well. Red Will-o-Wisps were also moving around. Gil still had the rings, so he was still immune to their damage. Ki, however, was not immune without protection.

When Gil and Ki entered the room, they were approached by two Red Knights. Ki shot flamethrowers at one of the Red Knights. She easily killed him. Gil attacked the other Red Knight with his sword. He killed this knight as well.

Gil and Ki walked forward. There was a whole plethora of Lizard Men. Quickly, Ki put up a protection shield. She shot flamethrowers at the first few Lizard Men, easily disposing of them. Gil attacked some more with his sword, killing a few of them.

However, more and more Lizard Men rushed at Gil and Ki. There were soon at least 20 of them. Gil panicked, since he could not fight all of them at once. Ki hastily cast Heat on Gil a second time. One more time and it would break. Gil began to glow in a dark red color again. He started running around the room, turning the Lizard Men to ashes as he went along. Pretty soon, all of the Lizard Men were dead. Eventually, the heat wore off and Gil was back to normal. He then found the key and picked it up.

Ki walked over to Gil. Her protection shield had worn off, but there were no real enemies, and she could move faster than the Will-o-Wisps could. The pair then found the door in an alcove. They opened it up and went downstairs.

**BARREL VAULT**

This room had some Druids and Lizard Men in it, but at least there weren't as many Lizard Men as there were in the Vanguard Room. There were also a few Land Urchins, but the pair knew to avoid them.

Gil and Ki found a few Druids teleporting around. Ki put up a barrier to block the spells. Gil blocked some spells with his shield while he fought off the Druids. Once all of the Druids died, Ki went to an area where there were a few Lizard Men. She put up a protection shield, and then killed the Lizard Men with killer clouds.

Ki found the key in this area and picked it up. She also saw a treasure chest in a small alcove. She walked over to it and opened it up. Inside was another scroll. This scroll contained the power of Silence. This meant that Ki could silence all magicians and other spell-casting enemies for one floor. Like the smokescreen, once it was used, the spell would break.

Ki walked back to Gil. Soon, several Lizard Men approached them. Ki attacked them with killer clouds, while Gil thrashed at them with his sword. This overwhelmed the Lizard Men and killed them all. Then, the pair sighted the door. They went up to it, opened it, and went downstairs.

**JAILER CHAMBER**

Gil and Ki looked around. There were plenty of Hyper Knights in this room, as well as a few Red Ropers.

A Hyper Knight approached the pair. Gil attacked the Hyper Knight with his sword, quickly disposing of him. The pair walked forward and encountered two more Hyper Knights. Ki put up another protection shield and began using killer clouds to attack. She managed to kill both of them. The pair turned to their right and found another Hyper Knight. Gil thrashed at the Hyper Knight and killed him. Gil and Ki pressed on and found two more Hyper Knights. Gil fought one of them off with his sword. Ki fought the other knight with flamethrowers. Both Hyper Knights died quickly.

Ki then entered an alcove with four keys. Only one of them was the real one, as Ki had expected. The other three were fakes. She tried picking up each key. All but one of them turned to dust. Ki picked up the key that remained solid.

Ki walked back over to Gil. The pair went down to the other side of the floor. Here were two Red Ropers. Ki attacked the Red Ropers with killer clouds, easily disposing of them. She and Gil then approached the door. They opened it and exited the floor.

**TORTURE CHAMBER**

Gil and Ki found themselves in an alcove. When they walked out of it, they saw that this floor, unfortunately, was much like the Vanguard Room. There were plenty of Lizard Men. There were also some Druids and Sorcerers.

At once two Druids came up to Gil and Ki. Gil blocked their spells with his shield. Ki shot killer clouds at them, killing both of them. Then, two Sorcerers appeared in front of Gil and Ki. Gil took out them with his sword.

Now it was time to face the Lizard Men. There were at least a dozen Lizard Men in all. The Lizard Men drew their swords and charged at the pair, and injured Gil badly. Ki responded by using a smokescreen to blind them. Now the spell was broken, but now the Lizard Men were befuddled by the smokescreen. Ki was able to cast killer clouds to kill them. Gil assisted her by charging at them with his sword. The pair managed to defeat every single Lizard Man.

Now that the room was devoid of enemies, Gil drank a Green Potion. Then Gil and Ki pressed forward. They found the key, which Gil picked up. Then the two approached the door. They opened it up and went downstairs.

**MAZE VESTIBULE**

This was yet another maze. However, this would be the last challenging maze that Gil and Ki would encounter. This maze didn't have many enemies: just a few Yellow Slimes and Pink Slimes, and a few Land Urchins that could easily be avoided. The pair was approximately in the center of the floor when they started

Gil and Ki walked up from the start. They encountered a Yellow Slime. Gil hastily impaled it with his sword. After a few minutes of walking, they found a Pink Slime. Ki shot an ice beam at the slime, killing it. They pressed onward until they came across another treasure chest. Gil opened it up. Inside this chest was another Green Potion.

Gil and Ki then found themselves confronted by two Yellow Slimes and a Pink Slime. Gil quickly impaled the two Yellow Slimes with his sword, while Ki killed the Pink Slime by shooting a flamethrower. Once all the slimes died, Gil and Ki saw that the Pink Slime was guarding the key. Ki picked it up. Gil and Ki walked for a few minutes, and then they found a door. They used the key to open the door and exit the floor.

When Gil and Ki entered the next room, they found that it was a small alcove. The pair fell asleep in it.

**FIRST CELL**

When Gil and Ki awoke the next morning, they saw that they had been locked in the alcove. A gate was blocking the way out. There was no key in sight.

"Oh, my," said Gil. "How are we going to get out?"

"I don't know," said Ki.

The pair looked around to see if there was something that could get them out of the cell. But no luck. Then, Ki took out the Blue Crystal Rod and used its light to detect a key. She found the key hidden under a wooden board.

"Let's get out of here," said Ki.

Gil and Ki used the key to open the gate. They soon found several Red Knights. Perhaps these were the fiends that had locked the two in the alcove. Gil unsheathed his sword and charged at the Red Knights, killing two of them. Ki cast killer clouds at the remaining knights, killing them as well.

The pair walked along, seeing that there were various alcoves in a central hallway in which they were walking in. These alcoves had nothing of note in them, so Gil and Ki ignored them. At the end of the hallway was an open door; this room had no key. The pair went in the doorway and walked downstairs.

**SECOND CELL**

This room was much like the First Cell, except Gil and Ki started on the right side of the floor instead of the left side. They saw that there were more Red Knights and also a few Sorcerers down here.

Gil and Ki proceeded. They found three Red Knights charging at them. Ki put up a protection shield. She then used killer clouds on the Red Knights, killing them. When the pair walked forward a little more, there were three more Red Knights standing near them. Gil thrashed at one of them with his sword. Ki cast another killer cloud to kill the other Red Knights.

When the pair reached the end of the hallway, they found two Sorcerers standing there. The Sorcerers shot spells, but they only ended up on the floor as fire elements. Gil, who still had the power of his necklaces, was able to pass through the flames and attack the Sorcerers. He killed both of them. There was also an empty doorway like the previous floor. Gil and Ki walked through it and went downstairs.

**THIRD CELL**

This floor looked like the First and Second Cells. However, this one had a few differences. First, the doorway at the right end of the floor was locked. The key was in front of it, but this door was a trap.

Gil and Ki walked forward. They found a few Red Knights walking around. Gil drew his sword and charged at them. He easily impaled them. Ki, meanwhile, went to the end of the door and found the key. She saw that the door was suspicious, so she took the key out of the right end and saw that it disappeared. There was an invisible ladder in the upper middle alcove of the hallway. The ladder had appeared.

When Ki went back to Gil, she told him that the key had disappeared. He looked surprised. "That's weird," said Gil. "But that must mean that there's another door – and it's open!"

Gil and Ki walked in the upper middle alcove. They found a Sorcerer standing there, shooting spells that turned to fire elements. Gil passed through the flames and swung his sword at the Sorcerer, killing him. Gil and Ki then found the ladder.

"Let's climb down," said Gil.

The pair climbed down the ladder.

**UNDER THE MOAT**

Gil and Ki jumped down and found themselves in a hallway. It looked like a maze, but it was actually rather straightforward compared to the other mazes. This floor had nothing but slimes and blue Will-o-Wisps. All varieties of slime were represented on this floor.

Gil and Ki walked forward. They found a Green Slime hopping around. Gil was quite surprised to see a Green Slime so far ahead, but he swung his sword and hastily killed it. The pair walked further and encountered another Green Slime. Gil killed it as well. The pair then approached a Black Slime. Ki could easily use weaker spells on it, so she fired an ice beam, killing the Black Slime. There was another Black Slime a little further on. Ki repeated the process with this slime.

Then, the pair turned around and saw another hallway, where there was a Red Slime. It shot a spell, which Gil blocked with his shield. Gil dispatched the Red Slime. Next, the pair came across another Red Slime. Gil impaled it as well. A little further was a Blue Slime. It shot a spell, which Gil blocked with his shield. Ki killed it with an ice beam. Next was another Blue Slime. Ki killed it quickly. At the next turn, there were two blue Will-o-Wisps. Ki put up a protection shield and moved past them easily.

The pair then came across a Yellow Slime. Gil drew his sword and charged at the Yellow Slime, killing it. Then, the pair found another Yellow Slime, which Gil impaled. Next was a Pink Slime. Ki shot an ice beam at the Pink Slime, killing it. Then, the pair found another Pink Slime. Ki killed this one as well. They turned around and found the final hallway.

There was a Dark Yellow Slime before the two. Gil quickly killed the Dark Yellow Slime. Gil and Ki walked further and found another Dark Yellow Slime, which Gil quickly killed. Next was a Dark Green Slime, which Ki killed with a flamethrower. Then, there was another Dark Green Slime. It shot a spell, but Gil blocked it. Ki shot another flamethrower, killing the slime. The pair then found the key and used it to open the nearby door and go downstairs.

**SECRET STAIRCASE**

This wasn't an actual staircase: just another passage. This one was loaded with Blue Ropers, Yellow Ropers, and Hyper Knights. First, Gil walked forward and found a Blue Roper. He killed it quickly. Then, he found a Yellow Roper and a Hyper Knight. He easily dispatched them. Yet there were many more enemies ahead, so Ki decided to cast Heat on Gil one last time. The spell broke this time.

Gil ran through the passage. Ki followed him after she put up a protection shield. As Gil ran forward, he encountered many Hyper Knights and Ropers. He was able to run through all of them, instantly melting them. By the time the heat wore off, there were no more enemies.

Ki found a treasure chest nearby. She opened it up. Inside was another scroll. This contained the power of Burn. This was the most powerful spell, and it would severely damage _any_ enemy. However, unlike the other attack spells, this was a one-time use. But it would soon be obvious where to use it.

Meanwhile, Gil picked up the key. The pair used it to open the door and exit the floor.

**WATER DUCT**

This was the penultimate floor down. Gil and Ki found two Pink Ropers as they walked in. Gil thrashed at them while Ki used killer clouds. The ropers both died. The ropers were guarding the key, which Gil picked up.

The pair pressed forward, going through the hallway. Eventually, they came to the door, but the key did not work on it. Gil and Ki found a small area with a Land Urchin. Gil and Ki avoided it by creeping behind it. Once again, they found themselves on suspicious ground.

As it turned out, this was another chute. When Gil and Ki both stepped on it, they instantly went down. Now one more floor until they could take the Blue Crystal Rod out of the tower…


	37. Exiting the Tower

**ENTRANCE HALL**

At last, Gil and Ki had reached the Entrance Hall, also the first floor of the Tower of Druaga. This time, since Gil and Ki had started together at the top, this would be the toughest floor of all.

Gil and Ki walked around the floor. They saw that this was an open room. The door that would lead them out of the Tower of Druaga was at the center of the lower part of the room. In front of it was what appeared to be Ishtar. However, this was not her; just an illusion of her. The image was seated between two pillars.

At once, several Wizards appeared, shooting spells like crazy. Ki put up a barrier to ward off the spells. Gil, meanwhile, charged at the Wizards with his sword. The Wizards all died.

Next, a multitude of Dark Eyes appeared: Gil hadn't seen these since his ascent of the tower. However, this time they were shining and moving around the room. Ki, who was still protected by the barrier, used Silence to prevent any more spells from being cast. She also attacked the Dark Eyes with killer clouds. Gil thrashed at other Dark Eyes with his sword. Eventually, all of the Dark Eyes fell to the floor and vanished.

Then, a whole swarm of Land Urchins appeared. This would be very hard. Ki put up a protection shield. This would be hard, since the Land Urchins could not normally be killed with weapons or magic. However, Gil sighted a treasure chest in the back of the room. He walked over to it and opened it up. Inside was one last scroll. This scroll contained the power of Death. It would enable Ki to kill all enemies instantly, including Land Urchins. Gil handed the scroll to Ki. She then waved the Blue Crystal Rod and cast Death at the Land Urchins. This destroyed every single one of them instantly.

Now for the hardest part of all…

All of a sudden, the room became dark. There was an ominous din throughout the room. It appeared that various beings were walking through the room. This continued for about two minutes, and then the lights went on. Gil and Ki found that they were in the presence of eight Akkynd Knights, the strongest knights of all. The ones that Druaga had commanded were not the remains of Sumerian soldiers, but demons that he had conjured to cause disaster.

The Akkynd Knights ran over to Gil and attacked him. He took a lot of damage from them, but he didn't die. He fought them off one by one. It took a long time, and it consumed a lot of energy from Gil. Ki decided to help him by using Burn to badly damage all of them. Now they were weakened. First, Gil drank his last Green Potion, and then he attacked the enemies. Gil was now able to kill all of them…except for one that was particularly stubborn…

Out of the eight Akkynd Knights, one of these knights was special. This one had bright blue eyes that glowed with the same shade as the Blue Crystal Rod. He was pretty strong, and could not easily be defeated by mortals. Gil had actually encountered him before. This was no ordinary Akkynd Knight. This was Wer, a demon and a messenger of Druaga that helped enslave the people of Babylim. He was the only enemy in the tower that was able to speak. Wer ran from Gil and Ki and went to the front door. He had crumbled the two pillars and made the illusion of Ishtar disappear. Naturally, Gil and Ki gave chase.

Gil and Ki walked over to the front door and saw that Wer had his sword drawn. He didn't seem ready to attack the pair, though. He looked at Gil and Ki with his evil eyes.

"So, who are you?" asked Gil.

"Me?" said Wer. "Well, I am Wer. I have been summoned by Druaga to enslave you and keep the world in a state of chaos. What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be dead."

"Well," said Ki, "what do you want from us?"

"I want the Blue Crystal Rod," said Wer. "Now that Druaga is dead, I need the Blue Crystal Rod to continue what he tried to do to the world, but failed. And it is because of _you_ that he failed!"

"We won't hand it over," said Gil.

"We need the Blue Crystal Rod to be returned to heaven," said Ki. "Ishtar had told us that that is necessary if we want the world to be a safe place once again."

Wer began to point his sword towards Gil. Gradually, he moved it closer and closer to Gil's heart. But he was quickly stopped by Ki, who used the Blue Crystal Rod to block Wer's sword.

"There's _no way_ that we are giving in to you!" yelled Ki.

"WHAT?" yelled Wer.

"You heard us," said Gil. "But I'll allow you to take _this_!"

Gil unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Wer. He drew it closer and closer, just as Wer had done to him. Eventually, he pointed it at Wer's heart and tore through him. Wer fell to the floor and died. As he died, he dropped the key that he was hiding. Ki picked the key up.

"Well," said Ki, "Now that that's over, it's time that we should exit the Tower of Druaga."

"Agreed," said Gil.

The pair used the key to open the door. At last, the door opened up and Gil and Ki found themselves on familiar soil once more. When they went outside, the door closed behind them.

**MAIN GATE**

Gil and Ki were glad to be outside of the Tower of Druaga. The sun was shining brightly and the birds were singing – something that they haven't seen in months. The pair was alone, standing on the base of the tower and watching nature.

"All right!" said Ki. "We're finally outside!"

"Yes," said Gil. "I'm excited as well!"

"Still," said Ki. "It's much too soon to rejoice. We still need to return the Blue Crystal Rod to heaven. We should try to find Ishtar. She might be at the temple back in Babylim."

"Okay. We might see Arzu or your family on the way as well. I hope they're doing fine."

Gil still had his sword drawn, so he sheathed it. Then, something very surprising happened. As he sheathed his sword, his armor disappeared. In its place was the outfit that he wore to the temple: a green shirt and pants, a blue vest, and his blue necklace that he had bought at the bazaar.

"Let's go," he said.

"Okay," said Ki.

The pair left the grounds of the Tower of Druaga…


	38. Return to Babylim

Gil and Ki strolled through the forest between the tower and the city. The forest was lit up by the sun. There were flowers blooming all along the edges of the path. They had not been there when Gil had entered the tower.

"It's so great to be outside!" said Gil.

"I know," said Ki, "And look!" The pair looked up to the sky and saw a familiar dragon flying. It went through one of the windows of the tower. "Quox the Dragon has returned to the tower!"

"Yeah," said Gil.

"Anyway," said Ki, "it's been so long since I've seen the light of day. It's so beautiful outside! I can't believe it has changed. Maybe it had to do with Druaga's defeat?"

"I guess so."

"Let's go to the city."

Gil and Ki eventually reached the city of Babylim. They found the city quite different this time. Nothing remained of the Sumerian soldiers. People were freely walking through the streets. They did not worry about work or anything. It was quite weird. How could this happen? Wouldn't there be anything left of the Sumerian Empire? This was very fishy.

The pair made their way around the city, looking for someone who knew the answer. But the two did not find anyone who knew. Gil and Ki then decided to keep a low profile and not tell them that they had the Blue Crystal Rod and they had retrieved it from the Tower of Druaga.

The pair eventually found themselves near the southwest corner of the city. This was where Ki and her family lived. Ki went here because she wanted to know if Nabu, Siris, and Shala were still alive. She walked over to the house that was hers and knocked on the door.

"Mom? Dad?" said Ki, knocking on the door.

Nabu came to the door and opened it up. Siris came over as well. Nabu and Siris saw Ki was before them, safe and sound. They had thought she was dead. They couldn't believe their eyes.

"Ki!" said Nabu. "You're…you're alive! When we had heard that you had gone to the tower and was captured by Druaga, we had thought that we had lost you forever! How did you make it out of there?"

"I went to the Tower of Druaga as well," said Gil. "I went up the tower, recovered the Blue Crystal Rod, defeated Druaga himself, and saved Ki. We made our way down together."

"It's hard to believe," said Siris. "Where is the Blue Crystal Rod?"

"I have it with me," said Ki. "I guess I should tell you because everyone seems to know already. But Gil and I will have to go talk to Ishtar to see what we should do with the Rod. Preferably, the Blue Crystal Rod should be returned to heaven."

"I see," said Nabu. "But how will you be able to return the Rod to heaven?"

"I don't know," said Gil. "We'll need to find out how/"

Gil and Ki went inside. They saw that the dinner table was full of food. The pair hadn't seen good food in a long time – not since the party, which was two months ago. There was a fresh scent of chicken, rice, pitas, and fruit. The pair sat down and started eating.

"Thank you," said Gil. "How did you know that we were hungry?"

"You two were in the tower all this time," said Nabu. "There obviously wasn't much to eat in the tower. You look like you've lost weight. I hope this food makes you feel better."

"We did find food," said Ki. "There was a treasure chest on the way down which contained food for Druaga's minions. But it wasn't really that good. Your food is much tastier."

Shala walked in the room and served Gil and Ki two glasses of milk. The pair drank them. After she did this, Gil looked at Nabu and Siris. "Don't you want any of this food?" asked Gil. "I'm sure you're hungry as well."

"We are not hungry right now," said Siris. "I think that you are the ones that need food the most. I hope that you are enjoying your meal. We prepared this meal quickly as soon as we heard that you and Ki had been seen outside of the Tower of Druaga."

"That was pretty quick," said Ki.

A few minutes later, Gil realized that he and Ki were searching for an answer to the suspicious silence in town. "Nabu," asked Gil, "we have walked around the city and have noticed that there are no remnants of the Sumerian Empire, nor are there any slaves. What has happened?"

"A lot of stuff has happened while you were gone," said Nabu. "First, there has been a shady messenger that has found favor with Bahlarant. I don't know who it is – or even _what_ it is – but the two are supposedly very close now. This messenger has a white and orange mantle and glowing green eyes, but that's all we can see of it."

"I've seen that messenger before," said Gil. "It visited me before I went to the tower."

"Next," said Nabu, "the old consul has died. Last week, we have received a new one. He is much younger than the previous one. We were lucky enough that the emperor has chosen a native of Babylim. I bet you know him. His name is Sargon."

"Sargon! I am glad he was chosen. I've been good friends with him for years! His father worked as an official for my father when I was little. I remember attending his wedding to Alina last year. I haven't seen them in a long time, though. He was living in Sumer when I last saw him."

"Sargon came back here to be consul," said Siris. "He and Alina now have a nice home in Babylim. Alina is pregnant with their child. She is due in three months."

"That's something for them to look forward to," said Ki. "Is there anything else that has happened while we were gone?"

"There has been a big fuss over at Sumer," said Nabu. "It turns out that Lamia has fallen ill. She has been sick for nearly a week now. The doctors say that they don't know exactly what is going on with her, but they believe that she has had a heart attack. The emperor has been unhappy about his wife's illness. Yet some believe that he does not feel honestly upset."

"How sad," said Gil. "Although I hate to say that Lamia might be getting a punishment for how stuck-up and mean she was towards me and the rest of the people of Babylim."

"I agree."

After they were finished with their meal, Gil and Ki decided to get going. They said bye to Nabu, Siris, and Shala and made their way to the temple of Ishtar, where they would talk to Ishtar. When they reached the temple, they saw Arzu standing outside, looking at the gardens around.

"Arzu!" said Gil. "You're okay too!"

"I sure am," said Arzu. "Why?"

"We were wondering if you were still alive," said Gil, "I ascended the Tower of Druaga, recovered the Blue Crystal Rod, slew Druaga, and saved Ki. Then, me and Ki descended the tower. This morning, we returned from the Tower of Druaga with the Blue Crystal Rod. We went to see Ki's parents before we came here."

"I have the Rod right here," said Ki. She took out the Blue Crystal Rod. "But you can't touch it. Gil and I need to get instructions from Ishtar on how to return the Rod to heaven."

"I wouldn't touch the Blue Crystal Rod if it was that important," said Arzu. "How will you return the Rod to heaven, though? I guess you'll need to talk to Ishtar. I don't have the answer."

"She will," said Ki.

"What happened to your golden armor, Gil?" asked Arzu.

"For some odd reason," said Gil, "my armor disappeared when I sheathed my sword after leaving the Tower of Druaga. That is also something I will have to ask Ishtar about."

"You won't expect to see Druaga's messengers," said Ki. "Gil and I managed to defeat them before we left the tower. Although there is one messenger left – one that we did not encounter in the tower. It has sworn allegiance to Bahlarant."

"The one in the white and orange hood?" asked Arzu.

"Yes," said Gil. "Anyway, as much as I'd love to stay and chat with you, me and Ki cannot do that right now. We must go inside the temple and speak to Ishtar. We may not see you for a while."

"Okay. Bye, and good luck!"

Arzu walked away from the temple grounds and into the town. Once she was gone, Gil and Ki approached the doors of the temple. They opened the doors up and went inside.


	39. Fate in Your Hands

When Gil and Ki entered the temple, they saw that it was full of light. This was not sunlight, but some divine light shining through the temple. This was a sign that Ishtar was here. Gil and Ki looked in the opposite side of the room. This was where there was a throne. Seated on the throne was the goddess Ishtar, as beautiful as ever.

Gil and Ki approached Ishtar. She was sitting motionless, with her eyes blinking every so often. They stood in front of her for about a minute, and then she spoke.

"Greetings," said Ishtar. "I see that you are back in one piece. Congratulations on your hard work!"

"We are safe," said Ki. "We have done just as you said. We have taken the Blue Crystal Rod, protected ourselves from the enemies, and brought the Blue Crystal Rod out of the Tower of Druaga."

"I see," said Ishtar. "You have taken the Blue Crystal Rod back from Druaga. That was very courageous of you. Unfortunately, I don't have anything to give you as a reward. Did you encounter anything trying to take the Rod?"

"There was a demon," said Gil. "His name was Wer. I had seen him before. He once made me a slave to work on the tower's base. He asked for the Blue Crystal Rod while we were about to exit the tower, but me and Ki easily disposed of him. We were able to keep the Rod unharmed. And for some reason, my armor disappeared after sheathing my sword when I left the tower."

"That is because you don't really need it now," said Ishtar. "I have stored it in the temple. You have access to it any time you want, Gil."

Ishtar looked at the pair closely, and she gave them a very serious look now. This meant that there was something important that she needed to tell Gil and Ki.

"You have worked very hard," she said, "and you have accomplished much on your journey. But the journey is not over yet. The Blue Crystal Rod must be returned to heaven, back where it belongs. If you do not return the Rod to heaven, things cannot be truly restored."

Gil and Ki looked at Ishtar, and then nodded their heads in agreement.

"We should return the Blue Crystal Rod to heaven," said Ki. "But…how is it possible? We cannot just go up to heaven. Anu will not let us do that right now."

"What should we do right now?" asked Gil.

Ishtar pondered for a moment, and then came up with a solution. She then waved her scepter in the air and used it to bring up an illusion. An illusion of a stone appeared in front of Gil and Ki.

"This stone," said Ishtar, "is known as 'the Stone of the Heavens'. Anyone who has been granted permission to ascend to heaven may use this as an access point. The one before you is just an illusion, though. The real one is located in the gardens of the temple. But it obviously can't be used now."

"Yes," said Gil. "That would be pretty obvious."

"There's one more thing that you need to know," said Ishtar. "You know the Tower of Druaga? It has not been destroyed again. You see, Anu had set up the Tower of Druaga for the purpose of testing humanity. This test would prove whether humans were good or evil."

"I think it's leaning more towards good now," said Ki.

"I agree," said Ishtar. "At least right now it is. There's still a lot to do, though, before we can see the fate of the world. Peace may or may not be returned to the world. Such an occurrence can only be determined by your actions."

Gil and Ki nodded their heads in agreement.

"Remember," said Ishtar, "use your best judgment and decide where it would be best to proceed through the world. There will be many more obstacles for you to face, so you will have to be careful. I must make my advice short, sweet, and to the point so I don't end up confusing you."

Once again, Gil and Ki nodded their heads.

"First," said Ishtar, "there is someone I have met that you should talk to. I am sure that you know Sargon. He is located in the building that once was the royal palace. He will give you advice. Now, you should go on and take a look at the world around you."

"Thanks," said Gil and Ki.

"You're welcome."

Gil and Ki said goodbye to Ishtar and left the temple. First, they walked around the garden of the temple and saw the Stone of the Heavens in the middle. It was a large, grey stone with a flat top. This was perfect to use for ascending to heaven if allowed. Gil and Ki then left the temple grounds. Off they went to begin the final part of their journey.


	40. Meeting with Sargon

Gil and Ki walked through the town, across the bridge, and into the northwestern part of the city. This was where the royal palace was. The royal palace, a large building divided into two wings, had been abandoned since the Sumerian invasion. Gil and Ki saw that the gates were open. They walked inside and saw a largely empty courtyard in front of the front door.

The pair walked inside the palace. It was quite gloomy with no people, but there was hope. Some of the items that had survived the Sumerian invasion had been rightfully returned to the palace. There were Sumerian banners, though, and it did not feel the same as it did when Gil and Arzu had lived there.

Eventually, Gil and Ki reached the throne room, where they found Sargon sitting down on the steps before the throne, meditative. Sargon was an attractive man, aged about twenty-five. He had silky brown hair, like Gil's hair but cut at his collar rather than his shoulders. He had a dark complexion and dark eyes. He was wearing a white robe over his shirt and pants. Sargon looked quite happy to see Gil and Ki.

"Look!" he said. "It's Gil and Ki! I have heard about your exploits. You have taken the Blue Crystal Rod out of the Tower of Druaga. And I see that you have the Blue Crystal Rod with you right at this moment!"

"Hello, Sargon," said the pair. "You are right. We do."

"Gil," said Sargon, "I haven't seen you in a while. How have things been going?"

"Very hard," said Gil. "I was made a slave of Druaga's messengers, then Ki was captured by Druaga himself, and then I had to go into the tower to save her. We went down the tower together and eventually we got to where we are now: right in front of you."

"We are doing fine, though," said Ki. "We left the tower this morning."

It was getting dark out, so Sargon closed the door and lit a lantern. He walked over to a part of the room where there was a table and sat down. Gil and Ki followed him. Then he spoke again.

"So," said Sargon, "why did you come to see me?"

"Ishtar suggested it to us," said Gil. "She told us what to do if we wanted to return the Blue Crystal Rod to heaven where it belongs. It will take a while, though. I hope you can cooperate with us."

"We have it right here," said Ki. She took the Blue Crystal Rod out and showed it to Sargon. "But I'm afraid that you cannot touch it. We need to return it to heaven."

"How will you get there?" asked Sargon.

"Ishtar gave us directions, but she can't do much about it. It's all up to me and Gil. However, we have got to be careful. Anu is still angry with us humans. Thus, we may not be able to ascend to heaven. So we need your help." Ki put the Blue Crystal Rod away.

"I will cooperate with you. I need your help as well."

Gil and Ki stared at Sargon. "What do you need our help for?" asked Ki.

"As you might have heard," said Sargon, "I am now the consul since the old one, Kurat, has passed on. In his almost nine months of counseling, he has done more bad to Babylim than good. I want you to help me clean up the damage that he and the rest of the Sumerian Empire have done to our city."

"How?" asked Gil. "What can we do?"

"It's easier than you think," said Sargon. "I have been given permission by Bahlarant to do repairs. The city of Babylim is not what it once was. I am starting official repairs on the city. I think we should get people to go help with the city repairs. But not today. It's getting too dark. Tomorrow would be better."

"Okay," said Ki.

"Before you go to sleep, I would like you to see my wife. As you might also know, she is going to have a baby. I want to take you to see her right now. We can't sleep in the palace, but I can take you to my house. The guest bedroom has two beds."

Gil, Ki, and Sargon walked through the hallways of the palace. They saw that Sargon had been the one responsible for trying to restore the royal palace to its former glory. There was more to go, but Gil and Ki told Sargon that he had done a good job with it. The pair went into one room where they saw Alina. She was also quite attractive, with light brown hair and hazel eyes. She had a much lighter complexion than her husband. Alina was sitting down on the bed. She was wearing a long, loose-fitting pink dress. She was, just as Nabu had told Gil and Ki, obviously pregnant.

Alina instantly got up and walked over to Sargon and embraced him. She then looked at Gil and Ki.

"Greetings," said Alina, "I see that Gil and Ki have returned from the Tower of Druaga. I would like to accompany you. I was getting bored in here. It's also getting quite dark."

"I'm glad to see you too, Alina," said Gil. "Me and Ki have the Blue Crystal Rod with us. But I told Sargon that me and Ki are the only people who can touch it. It's very important that we return the Blue Crystal Rod to heaven where it belongs."

"How are you doing?" said Ki. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"I'm doing well," said Alina. "I am doing well. It will be only three months until the baby is born. I don't know whether it will be a boy or a girl. We'll just have to wait and see."

"That's good," said Ki. "Do you have any ideas on what you want to name the baby?"

"No," said Sargon, "but we'll think of something."

Gil paced around for a while and looked at Sargon and Alina. "Since it's getting late," he said, "we need shelter, and we won't know how long it will take until the Blue Crystal Rod is returned to heaven. We might need to stay in your house for a while now."

"Although," said Ki, "we will hopefully take less time than the time needed before Alina can give birth. We will tell you when and if we are going to ascend to heaven to return the Rod."

"Alina and I will gladly accommodate you," said Sargon. "We live fairly close to the place where I work, so you can see us there. I will be at work for most of the time, so report to the building near the northern bridge of the city on the east side. I will give you advice."

"Good," said Gil. "We need your help so we can ascend to heaven. But first we need your advice. Is there anything we can do first?"

Sargon pondered for a while, thinking what there was to do. Then, he got an idea and spoke. "Well…" he said, "there are some travelers that arrived a few days ago who have encamped to the southeast of the city. They are from Parsa in Persis. Their elder, Tahmina, will know what to do."

"I have never met her," said Gil. "How can we find her? There will obviously be quite a few travelers. They haven't come to Babylim in a long time."

"She will be in a more colorful tent than the others, and she's obviously quite old. I actually have encountered her over a decade ago, and even then she was old. She's got to be at least eighty now. Tahmina has been around this region of the world for so long, as you would have expected."

"Will tomorrow be a good time to go see her?" asked Ki.

"Yes, it will. I think now we should get out of here before it gets too dark to see. I also really think that you and Gil need rest after your journey in the Tower of Druaga."

Gil, Ki, Sargon, and Alina left the palace and went back to Sargon's home. It was a well-lit and colorful home with many decorations. Sargon and Alina showed Gil and Ki where the guest bedroom was. Gil and Ki got settled in the room. When they were ready to sleep, Sargon came in.

"There's a big day ahead of you," he said. "Now get some rest. Make sure that you do not lose the Blue Crystal Rod, otherwise you'll be pretty much screwed."

"I brought it with me," said Ki.

"Good," said Sargon, "and now I must go to bed as well. Sweet dreams!" Sargon left the room. Gil and Ki fell asleep in their beds and had their first comfortable sleep since the invasion of Babylim.


	41. The Travelers' Camp

_From here starts the story of The Blue Crystal Rod, a 1994 SNES game that is the sequel to The Return of Ishtar. It is the final game in the Tower of Druaga series according to Namco. It was released only in Japan, but I could somewhat follow the story on videos of the game on a Japanese website. I did take quite a few liberties, though. I have added several events to the story since it is a rather short game. The Blue Crystal Rod has roughly 48 endings; some are good and some are bad. I combined several of the endings in this fanfic. This is the best I could adapt of it, though. Enjoy!_

Gil and Ki woke up to a bright, sunny morning. They went downstairs and saw that Sargon and Alina had made them breakfast. The pair ate it, and then talked to Sargon and Alina.

"Sargon," said Gil, "we will make our way to the travelers' camp now. We will return to you once we have talked to them and done all that they have told us. There should be much to do."

"We will speak with Tahmina," said Ki. "We will ask her what we can do next. This will be merely our first step in our quest to ascend to heaven to return the Blue Crystal Rod."

"You might want to talk to the others first," said Alina. "Tahmina is supposedly a very busy woman."

"Okay," said Gil.

After a few minutes, Sargon packed Gil and Ki some food for the trip, while Alina had washed their clothes. Then, Gil and Ki were all ready to go. Ki took the Blue Crystal Rod, and Gil took his sword. They bade Sargon and Alina farewell, and left their house.

Gil and Ki walked through the city of Babylim. It was quite calm there, with not many people moving around. Gil and Ki looked at the temple of Ishtar, where they decided to report back to later, and made their way south. They eventually found themselves on the outskirts of Babylim. It was a relatively arid land, but there were bushes located all around. There were about five tents in the distance. They were colored maroon, with the middle one more vividly colored and embroidered with gold rope. This one obviously belonged to Tahmina.

"She must be in the one in the center," said Gil. "Let's approach it."

"Yes," said Ki. "But Alina told us to talk to the other ones first. They might have knowledge of what lies ahead for us."

"We should check this tent," said Gil, pointing to the leftmost tent, which was the one closest to Babylim. The pair approached the tent and opened it up. Inside the tent was a man sitting down. He was clad in long brown robes, brightly colored shoes, and a headdress. He had a thick mustache.

"Greetings," said the man, looking at Gil and Ki. "I am Khurshid, a traveler from Elam. You would like to speak with our elder, Tahmina?"

"Yes," said Gil. "We would."

"Very well then," said Khurshid. "But first I need to know about you."

Gil and Ki told Khurshid about themselves. They talked for about ten minutes, explaining their stories, and finally got to the point where they would mention the Blue Crystal Rod.

"We have retrieved the Blue Crystal Rod from the Tower of Druaga," said Ki. "I have it with me. It is important that we return it to heaven where it belongs."

"Heaven, you say?" said Khurshid. "Now that is very important. Normally, we don't let just anyone chat with our elder. However, my being in the presence of those who have taken the Blue Crystal Rod back from Druaga is definitely something that would be worthy of hearing."

"Excellent," said Gil.

"Come with me," said Khurshid. "I will let you speak with our elder." Gil and Ki left the tent with Khurshid and approached the tent that Tahmina was inside.

Khurshid opened up the tent and led Gil and Ki inside. "Excuse me," said Khurshid, "I have come into contact with the two that have ventured into the Tower of Druaga and recovered the Rod."

"Bring them in," said Tahmina. Gil and Ki approached her. She was an extremely old woman with white hair. She wore a long robe. A scarf was worn over her head. Another (much younger) woman was standing next to her. "Sit down, if you please," she added. Gil and Ki sat down in front of her.

"So," said Gil, "I'm glad to see you."

"Thanks," said Tahmina.

"I would like to get you know you better," said Gil. "Sargon said that you are encamped here. Why?"

"I have weathered a lot through my life," said Tahmina. "I was born in Elam, but have traveled much. Right now, I have heard that you have taken the Rod out of the Tower of Druaga and defeated the Lord of Darkness. I wanted to get a chance to meet you before I get too old to move much."

"How old are you?" asked Ki.

"I am 100 years old." Gil and Ki nearly fainted.

"Isn't that already very old?" said Gil.

"Not for me," said Tahmina, smiling. "I have been very active all my life. Many people think I look younger. Even so, I have lived quite long. I had married 85 years ago. Me and my husband, Jamshid, raised five children, three of whom I have outlived. Jamshid died ten years ago. I have many descendants. Khurshid over there is my grandson, and the woman next to me, Rukhsana, is my great-granddaughter. Now then, about the Blue Crystal Rod…"

"Here it is," said Ki, taking out the Blue Crystal Rod. "But you are unable to touch it."

"I wouldn't even think of such a thing," said Tahmina. "I will just look at it carefully." Tahmina looked at the Blue Crystal Rod carefully without touching it. She then sighed and spoke. "The Rod radiates a luminescent blue light. It has not been corrupted by Druaga."

"Why is that important?" asked Gil.

"Because if it was corrupted, there would be danger in the near future. The Blue Crystal Rod must not be touched by anyone with an evil heart, for it can turn the tide of events."

Ki put the Rod away. "That is true," she said. "We must not let this fall into evil hands, be it Bahlarant or any other fiend who would desire the Rod's power for nefarious purposes."

Five minutes later, Tahmina realized that Gil and Ki were traveling. "Where are you headed to?" she asked. "You have just begun a journey. There has to be a destination, or there will be no journey to speak of."

"Oh, my," said Gil. "But we can return eventually?"

"Yes," said Tahmina.

"Good," said Ki.

"We don't know where to go right at the moment," said Gil.

"Should we head to Persis?" asked Ki.

"No," said Tahmina. "That's too far away. Perhaps you should head to the city of Kish. It is only ten miles from here. There is rumor going around that an exotic lady has been seen in the city. They say that she knows the secrets to your journey."

"Who is this lady?" asked Gil.

"I haven't got a clue on who she is," said Tahmina. "All I know is that she has been sighted in the city, obviously in disguise, but easily recognizable to those who have ventured to far-off lands."

"We should go look for this lady," said Ki. "When we get to the city, we should start a search for her."

"All right. Now I will let you go. Be wise on your journey. But before you go, we will pack some food and give you horses to travel on. Then you will be able to reach Kish in no time. We are busy here, though, so we cannot come with you. Be brave on your travels."

The travelers got to packing, and then they led Gil and Ki to a pair of grey horses. These, according to Tahmina, were the fastest horses she could find. Gil and Ki packed the food, got on the horses, and rode off into the distance.

"Goodbye!" said Tahmina. "Remember to keep the Blue Crystal Rod safe!"

While Gil and Ki were riding, they looked at the landscape around them. The arid landscape with the bushes looked quite lovely. There were numerous animals in the wilderness, among them ostriches, hyenas, and gazelles. Gil and Ki moved swiftly. Then, suddenly…

Gil heard the sound of a roar. "What was that?" he said.

"What?" asked Ki.

"I thought I heard something."

"What do you think it was?"

"A lion, I guess."

"Nah…"

But then, a lioness came out of nowhere. She charged at Gil and Ki and tried to pounce on them, but Gil drew his sword and frightened her. She quickly ran away.

"That was a relief," said Gil. The two rode off to the city of Kish.


	42. Queen Isis

At last, Gil and Ki reached the city of Kish. "I'm astounded," said Gil, "that not much of Kish has changed in the year that I have not been in the city."

Kish was a large city and a center of culture. The city was laid out in an imperfect pentagon, but it was in a rather unorganized shape due to years of growth. Like Babylim, it was along a river. This river was a small tributary of the Euphrates that met it twenty miles to the south. Kish was home to the great summer palace of the kings of Babylim, where Gil and Arzu had spent their summers during their childhood.

The city of Kish was surrounded by massive blue walls with many towers. There were two bridges, one in the north and one in the south. There were many streets zigzagging around the city. The left bank had the summer palace near the northern bridge and a garden near the southern bridge. The right bank had a bazaar near the northern bridge and the Temple of Fire near the southern bridge, which will be discussed later on in this chapter.

Kish was quite beautiful. The river and streets were flanked with tall date palms. The city had many buildings. There were also many archways, arcades, statues, shrines, fountains, and minarets. The silver dome of the fire temple was almost blinding.

The first place that Gil and Ki went to see was the city garden, as that was closest to the southwest gate which they entered in. It was quite a lovely garden, with lovely flowers and fruit trees coming from all over the world. There were exotic animals from far-off lands on display. When they entered the garden, they were instantly recognized and shown to a table.

Gil and Ki sat down at the table. Instantly, they were given bowls of lentil soup. They were presented with a huge bowl of fruit: apples, mangoes, oranges, lemons, pomegranates, and peaches. They were also served pitas stuffed with vegetables and chicken.

Gil and Ki began eating. Their meal was quite delicious. Once they were done with the meal, they got up and walked around the garden and looked at the plants.

Suddenly, the pair noticed that there was a shadowy figure clad in a black mantle standing under one of the trees. Gil and Ki began walking near the figure, but it walked away from them. The pair then followed the figure out of the garden, but it started to flee faster. They gave chase by running as well.

"Who is this person?" asked Ki.

"I don't know," said Gil. "But we must find out who they are. Maybe they could help us!"

Gil and Ki pursued the person carefully so they would not draw too much attention. Then, they crossed the southern bridge. The pair ran around the Temple of Fire and headed for the bazaar. After nearly half an hour of chasing, Gil and Ki followed the shadowy figure into an alley. The person could no longer flee.

"We have you cornered," said Gil.

"Yeah," said Ki.

"Okay," said the person. "You win. I was trying to get away from you because I didn't want anyone in this city knowing who I really am."

Gil and Ki looked at the person for a minute. Inside the mantle was very dark, but the pair could easily make out a bizarre shape. It looked like this person was wearing a crown. _They must be someone important_, thought Gil.

"Excuse me," asked Ki, "but who are you and what exactly are you doing here? I think we have an idea about your identity…"

The person took off their hood and revealed themselves in the light. This person turned out to be a woman. She was not an average woman; she wore a circular crown around her head with a cobra's head jutting out at the forehead. This was an obvious sign of high rank. Her hair was long and black. She had golden teardrop earrings on her ears. Her skin was a medium brown tone; much darker than Gil and Ki's skin. She was quite beautiful indeed.

"I recognize you," she said. "You are Gil and Ki, the ones who have fought the demon Druaga. I am glad to be in your presence. And I suppose you want to know who I am?"

"We do," said Gil.

"You must be from the kingdom of Kemet," said Ki. "I can tell by the way that you dress that you are probably a noble."

"That is true," said the woman. "But I am not just any noble. I am Queen Isis, the one that rules Kemet." Gil and Ki were so flabbergasted that they just stood still and motionless, mouths agape.

It took five minutes for the pair to feel the ability to speak again. "Really?" said Gil. "I have heard of you many times, but I have never expected to see you in person!"

"I can see why you are astonished," said Isis. "I haven't been able to travel lately. In the two years that I have ruled Kemet, there has been fear of an invasion by the Sumerian Empire. The dreaded emperor Bahlarant has fought against my husband, the previous monarch, and killed him. My daughter Wosret was promised in marriage to Bahlarant's eldest son, but I refused. I then fought and defeated him, preserving Kemet's independence. I have decided to travel here to meet you before I lost the chance."

"That was a wise decision," said Gil.

Isis set her eyes on the Temple of Fire and began approaching it.

"May I show you to the Temple of Fire?" she asked. "It is empty now, and I have some important information to tell you about your travels."

"Okay," said Gil.

The three made their way out of the alley and towards the Temple of Fire.


	43. The Temple of Fire

Queen Isis led Gil and Ki to the Temple of Fire. "I have heard of this temple many times," she said. "The Temple of Fire is where people make offerings to the god of fire."

"That is true," said Gil. "But I don't have anything to offer right now, nor do I feel the need to offer anything. So why have you brought us to the Temple of Fire?"

"We must talk about your travels," said Isis. "I know the dangers that lie ahead. You must remain vigilant, now. I shall tell you more when we enter the temple."

Gil, Ki, and Isis entered the temple. The Temple of Fire was a huge temple. It looked much like the temple of Ishtar in the city of Babylim, but it had reddish walls and torches on them. There were curtains along the walls. Opposite the entrance was a statue of the fire god, flanked by two torches. Under it was an altar. On the sides of the temple were huge pillars. The center of the temple had a carpet leading to the statue. There were also two side rooms in the back of the temple.

There was a handsome young man sitting in the temple. He looked like he was around the same age as Gil and Ki. He had black hair and vivid blue eyes. He wore white clothing under a blue knee-length tunic. He walked over to Gil, Ki, and Isis.

"I know you, Isis," he said, "but let me introduce myself to the other two. I am Tarim. I am in the service of the fire god. I hope I can help you."

Isis and Tarim made their way towards the back of the temple, and Gil and Ki followed them. She looked impressed at the architecture of the temple. Gil and Ki remained silent as they walked. The three reached the back room, and they found themselves in a hallway. She then found a dull-looking door and opened it. This door led to the basement.

Gil, Ki, and Tarim went in and walked downstairs. Isis followed them, locking the door behind her. This staircase was old and the wooden boards were rickety. Eventually, they reached the bottom and found themselves in a dark, pillared room. This room was known as the catacombs.

Isis found a table near a wall in the catacombs with a lantern on it. She took it and lit a fire in it. She then walked towards a table across the room, sat down, and put the lantern on the table.

"Sit down," she said.

Gil and Ki sat down at the table across from Isis. Tarim sat next to her.

"How did you know about the temple?" asked Ki.

"I was told by Tarim about this temple," said Isis. "I told him who I was, but not in front of others. He gave me access to the basement so I could arrange a meeting with you two."

"Another thing," said Tarim. "If you want to know about why I'm keeping this temple despite my age…I was selected just recently to be a priest. Bahlarant seemed to admire my skill in service to the gods, so I was chosen."

"Well," said Gil, "can you explain what's going on. I'm lost. We had traveled here on the recommendation of the travelers' elder, and I haven't gotten a clue on what to do."

"I know why she hid the answer," said Isis. "I actually know her very well, but she didn't know that I was the one who wanted to come to Kish to see you. Being that he is at war with us, Bahlarant does not like the people of Kemet and wants to discourage them from traveling in his empire. An official of his is currently in the city."

Gil and Ki were beginning to get lost even more.

"We're puzzled," said Gil.

"Am I confusing you?" asked Isis. "I am terribly sorry. I didn't mean to be so verbose, but that is one of my weaknesses. I will now talk about the more important things that lie ahead in your quest."

"Okay," said Ki. "Now we're getting somewhere. I would like to hear what we can do."

"Sure," said Tarim. "We are in the catacombs of the temple. This is where there is a jeweled box hidden. However, this box has not been seen in a long time and some people even question whether it is really there. This box is said to be a gift to Babylim from the king of Kemet over a century ago, but it was hidden because Bahlarant was looking for it for twenty years. When he visited Kish while the Tower of Druaga was being built, he looked in the basement of the temple for it."

"I know of that box!" said Gil. "It was given to Babylim during the reign of my great-great-grandfather, Marduk XI. (My father was Marduk XIII.) I have read in a scroll that during time of need, a priestess of Babylim will be able to find it."

"I am a priestess," said Ki. "Perhaps I will find it. Let's look around and see where it is."

Gil, Ki, and Isis looked around the room for the box. They looked multiple times – in every inch of the room – but they did not find it. It was well-hidden, until…

"I just noticed something," said Ki.

"What?" asked Isis.

"I noted that this pillar is hollow and looks like we could break it. If we get rid of it, maybe that will reveal the box! It _has_ to be here! I just know it! All I need is some help."

"Okay," said Gil. "But be careful now."

Gil walked towards the pillar and swung his sword at it. This revealed a dusty box inside. Gil took the box out and showed it to Ki and Isis, who stared at it.

"I think this is the box!" he said.

"Let's just see," said Ki. "Why don't we wipe the dust off?"

"Sure."

Gil, Ki, Isis, and Tarim rubbed their hands hard against the dust. At first, the dust did not come off, but after some very hard rubbing, the dust came off and revealed the box. It had jewels on the top. The jewels were green on the front, blue on the back, and red on the sides.

"It's quite lovely," said Gil.

"What do we do with this box?" asked Ki.

"You will need this box on your journey" said Isis. You must give it to someone that you think you will be able to trust. Keep the box away from Bahlarant though."

"Who should we give the box to?" asked Gil.

"Think about it yourselves," said Tarim.

"That would be a good idea," said Isis.

Gil and Ki thought about it, and then gave Isis an answer. "We have " "We will give it to Sargon back in Babylim. He is the new consul. We trust him very much."

"Very well," said Isis. "Give the box to Sargon. He should give you instructions next."

"What about the Blue Crystal Rod?" asked Ki.

"Keep it with you at all times," said Isis. "Make your no one takes it. It can change your destiny."

"We will," said Gil.

After some time passed, Ki said "It's getting late, Isis. I think we should go back to Babylim and see Sargon before he falls asleep."

"All right," said Isis. She led the others out of the basement and into the main room of the temple. "See you soon!" she said.

"Good luck on your travels!" said Tarim. "Remember to bring the jeweled box with you!"

"We will," said Gil. "Bye!"

Gil and Ki left the Temple of Fire with the jeweled box and walked to the western gates of the city. There they found the horses that they had rode to Kish on. The two got on their horses and rode back to Babylim, going for several miles and passing the travelers' camp. Eventually, they reached the eastern gates of the city of Babylim, where Gil and Ki dismounted.

Gil and Ki walked through the streets of Babylim. It was very quiet, since most people were asleep. They found Sargon's house and knocked on the door. But there was no answer.

They tried again, and Sargon came out this time. "Come in," he said.

"Hi, Sargon," said Gil. "We got this box from Queen Isis, who was visiting the city." He handed the box to Sargon, who was astonished at the sight of it.

"This box," he said, "is the box that has a stone tablet hidden in it. We shall open it up and see what's inside." He opened up the box and took out the stone tablet and read it.

"What does it say?" said Ki.

"It says that the person who wishes to ascend to heaven is the one who has traveled far and is victorious," said Sargon. "Obviously, that means that there's a lot more to do." Gil and Ki frowned.

"Don't worry," said Sargon, smiling. "I will help you as I promised. I think you should go to Sumer and see what you can do there. Bahlarant has lightened up on visitors because of Lamia's illness, but it would be best for you to see someone else first."

"Who?" asked Gil.

"There's a woman by the name of Zahra," said Sargon. "She will know about Sumer. She is from there. There will also be a banquet for you to attend. She will probably attend as well."

"I know who she is!" said Gil. "Arzu told me about her. How is Arzu doing?"

"She's all right."

"Good."

"How will we know more about the banquet?" asked Ki.

"Just go there and see," said Sargon. "Now, I think you need some rest. Alina is already asleep and I think that you should go to sleep as well. Good night!"

"Good night!" said Gil and Ki.

The two went to the guest bedroom, got into bed, and fell asleep.


	44. Guests at Sumer

The next day, Gil and Ki woke up to another beautiful morning. They looked out the window and looked at the temple of Ishtar, which shone brightly.

"We should pay the goddess Ishtar another visit," said Ki. "We haven't seen her in a few days, so I would like to know what to do. We still have to ascend to heaven to return the Blue Crystal Rod."

"I agree," said Gil. "But let's get ready for the banquet first." The pair dressed in the clothes that they had worn at the party after the tower's restoration. They also packed their regular clothes because they didn't know how long they would be in Sumer.

Gil and Ki went downstairs. Sargon was reclining on a chair, looking relaxed. He was wearing a robe and silk pajamas. Gil and Ki approached him. "Hello," said Gil. "Are you awake?"

Sargon propped up his head. "Oh," he said, "it's you. I was just falling asleep since I was given a day off. You two look really nice and ready for the banquet."

"Thanks," said Gil. "And I thought that Bahlarant wouldn't even dare to give anyone time off. He is very well-known for overworking people. I was among those victims."

"As the consul," said Sargon, "I get plenty of time to myself. Are you ready to go to Sumer?"

"Not really," said Ki. "I mean, we are going to go to Sumer, but we need to report to the goddess Ishtar. I thought that it would be a good time to pay her another visit."

"Sure," said Sargon. "You can go visit Ishtar, but remember to go to Sumer after that."

"Where's Alina?" asked Gil.

"She's not here right now. She had to leave Babylim and go to the village six miles to the north to visit her mother. She's left me in charge of everything at home."

"When will she back?"

"She will be back tonight. But you probably won't see me for a day or two. It will take a while to talk with everyone at the banquet in Sumer. The banquet is tonight."

"Fine," said Ki. "We'll get going now. Bye!"

"Bye…" said Sargon. "And I will…fall asleep…" He fell asleep. Gil and Ki went to the front door, opened it, and left the house. Ki closed the door behind her.

Gil and Ki walked to the temple of Ishtar, where once again they found Arzu outside of it. She was looking at the garden again, and she noticed the Stone of the Heavens.

"Hello," she said.

"Hello, Arzu," said Gil.

"How are you?" said Arzu.

"We're doing well," said Ki. "We are going in the temple again to see Ishtar. We need some advice from her before we go to a banquet in Sumer."

"Good luck with that."

"We will," said Gil. "See you soon!"

Gil and Ki approached the temple doors, opened them, and went inside. The doors then closed behind them. They walked to the throne opposite the doors, where once again Ishtar was sitting.

"Greetings, Ishtar," said Gil.

"I'm glad to see you again," she said.

"We still have the Blue Crystal Rod."

"Excellent."

"How was it with Sargon?"

"Everything went well," said Ki. "We went to Kish, met with Queen Isis, and found a jeweled box. Now we are to go to Sumer and attend a banquet."

Ishtar stared at Gil and Ki for a while, and then spoke up. "It appears that you are on the right track," she said. "After you are done speaking with me, you can go to Sumer and attend the banquet."

"Anything else?" asked Gil.

"There is one more thing you need to do in there," said Ishtar. "You must enter the royal palace. As you already know, Sargon pointed out that Bahlarant has been more open to visitors due to his wife's illness. You will need to speak with him face to face. However, Zeresh will be in Sumer as well, so you should watch out for her. There is also a hooded messenger which you must be wary of, for it has the favor of Bahlarant and may even be found in the palace."

"I remember seeing one when Ki was captured by Druaga," said Gil.

"That is the one," said Ishtar. "Though I have a secret to tell you about the identity of the being. That being is the embodiment of darkness. It was born out of the chaos that erupted when Druaga returned to the world and stole the Blue Crystal Rod. It is genderless. It has no body, and that is why it wears a mantle. You must be careful. That being is pure evil."

"We will be wary of it," said Ki.

"I know you will," said Ishtar. "Now, it would be best to go to Sumer right now and attend the banquet. Talk to Zahra, who will be there, and ask her for advice."

"I know who she is," said Ki. "She should be easy to find."

"I will see you another time," said Ishtar. "Good luck on your travels to the city of Sumer!" Gil and Ki bid Ishtar farewell. Then they exited the temple and made their way to the dock at the southern part of the city.

When Gil and Ki made it to the docks, they found the boatman and told him that they were going to Sumer.

"Okay," he said. "I will take you to the city of Sumer. But you must be careful. One false move and you may end up in grave danger."

The pair sighed.

Gil and Ki eventually made it to the city of Sumer and got off the boat. They began looking around to see where the banquet was being held at. They found the banquet hall near the town square. It was a large building with two big doors. Gil and Ki opened them and went inside.

A tall man with a mustache greeted them. "Hello," he said. "Well if it isn't Prince Gilgamesh and his beloved Ki! I wanted to see you guys. Come in and enjoy the banquet."

Gil and Ki walked towards a large table, where there were many guests sitting and talking. There were also people dancing. Gil and Ki decided to join in and dance for a while. An hour later, they remembered that they were looking for someone.

"Anyone in particular you are looking for?" said the man.

"We are looking for Zahra," said Ki.

"She's right over there," said the man. "The one in the purple veil."

Zahra was sitting down at a table alone. She was having a glass of beer and at first glance looked quite sober. When Gil and Ki approached her, Gil asked, "What's the matter, Zahra? You look upset about something."

"Nothing," she said. "I am just worried that...Ki! And Gil! You're all right! I can't believe you two are still alive! I thought that Ki would be lost forever because of the travels down the tower."

"We are fine," said Ki. "And so is Princess Arzu."

"Good," said Zahra. "Now, why did you want to speak with me?"

"We need your advice about the royal palace of Sumer," said Ki. "We need to get in there and speak with Bahlarant about something."

Zahra's mouth opened but did not speak.

"You two," said Zahra after a few minutes, "Bahlarant does not want anything to do with you. He is angered over the suffering that Lamia is going through."

"But is he upset?" asked Ki.

"Not really," said Zahra. "He seems to take enjoyment with Zeresh and a mysterious being in his company. Still, I don't feel bad for Lamia at all. She was quite haughty. And she's still a selfish bitch."

"I can't say I don't agree," said Gil. "But can we at least speak to her?"

"You can if you want to," said Zahra. "Yet I don't know if it will get you anywhere. You have the Blue Crystal Rod with you, right?"

"It's right here," said Ki, showing Zahra the Blue Crystal Rod.

"I promise I will not take it," said Zahra. "It's very important."

"What can we do about the palace?" asked Ki.

"Tell the guard that you have to speak to the emperor. The guard is quite relaxed about people coming in now. Then, go to the palace courtyard. Bahlarant has two warriors from Kemet visiting. They had requested practice to help with the Sumerian army, but they are really here to speak with you. I met them a few days ago. Their names are Horus and Set."

"Okay," said Gil. "We better make our way to the royal palace now."

"Then good luck!" said Zahra. "Bye!"

"Bye!" said Ki.

Gil and Ki were about to leave the banquet, but then they were served a tasty dinner. After they were finished with it, they decided to leave and take some food with them.

The pair walked through the town square and then found themselves in front of the royal palace gates. There were two lion statues in front of it; one on each side. The guard was standing in front of the palace.

"This is it," said Gil. He approached the guard. "Excuse me," he said to the guard, "we are here to speak with His Highness and his beloved wife. Would you be kind as to let us in?"

"Do you have anything for me?" asked the guard. "Lamia is very ill now. I'm afraid I can't let everyone in."

"We have chicken," said Gil, handing him a pot of chicken with a spoon.

"Fine," he said. "Go along." Gil and Ki went inside the gates as the guard ate the chicken.

"Quite good," he said. Eventually, he got so stuffed he fell asleep.


	45. In The Royal Palace

Gil and Ki were amazed at the royal palace. They had never been in it before. The royal palace looked quite grand. It was made of sand-colored bricks. There were pink onion-shaped domes atop the palace, including a big one in the center. It was divided into two wings, just like the royal palace of Babylim. Its doors were huge and brown. On one side of the palace there was a huge courtyard. On the other side of the palace was a training yard. In the back of the palace were the royal gardens, which were famous for the region.

The pair did not feel like going in the palace just yet, so they went to the left and walked through the courtyard. There were many ornate flowers growing in the courtyard – surprising for a palace belonging to the ruthless Bahlarant. There was also a stone gazebo, several small fountains, and sculptures. Then Gil and Ki went to the gardens in the back. There were even more ornate flowers, and there were two large fountains. There was a pergola attached to the palace. The garden had various topiaries as well. The only hideous thing in the gardens was an unsightly statue of Bahlarant in the center. The statue portrayed him in an almost godlike manner. He had commissioned it to replace a broken statue of Ishtar.

Then, the pair went to the right. This was wear the training yard was located. Gil and Ki approached the training yard. It was a huge yard with a stone pavilion near the front. The pavilion was for observing the training. The yard was an open arena. There were beautiful hedges cut into various shapes flanking the sides.

"The outside of the royal palace is very beautiful," said Ki. "The people designing the palace must have put in a lot of effort to build it. Don't you agree, Gil?"

"I do," said Gil. "However, there is only one thing I don't like. That thing is the statue of Bahlarant standing in the garden. It seems blasphemous to replace a statue of a god, even a broken one, with one of a human tyrant such as that ghastly Bahlarant."

"Of course," said Ki.

Gil and Ki walked through the patio, when all of a sudden, the two were stopped by the sound of a voice. "Halt!" said the voice. "Who dares to come here?" said another voice.

"It is Prince Gilgamesh," said Gil, "and Ki, the shrine maiden of Ishtar."

Two warriors jumped out of the sides. They were quite tall. Both of them had the same dark complexion that Queen Isis had, so Gil and Ki figured that these were the warriors from Kemet.

The first warrior was slightly taller than the other one. He had long black hair topped with a vulture headdress. He wore a purple tunic that extended to his knees. A colorful emblem of Kemet was attached to the front of his belt. On his lower arms were red and gold gauntlets. His boots, which had bottoms that looked like sandals, matched his tunic. He wielded a spear.

The second warrior had slicked-back hair that extended to his shoulders. His ears had golden earrings. He had a pale yellow shirt and pants on. He wore a brown leather vest over his shirt and sandals at his feet. He had green wristbands around his wrists. He wielded a curved sword and had a shield depicting a jackal-headed god.

"Oh," said the first warrior, realizing who Gil and Ki were "Sorry that we tried to attack you."

"That's okay," said Ki. "Who are you guys?"

"I am Seth," said the second warrior.

"And I am Horus," said the first warrior.

"We are warriors of Kemet," said Seth. "And we are also brothers."

"That's interesting," said Gil. "So who's the older one?"

"I am," said Horus. "But I'm Seth's senior by only one year. I am twenty-five years old."

"Well, you've got us beat," said Gil. "Me and Ki are only seventeen, soon to be eighteen. As a matter of fact, Ki will turn eighteen in a few days. I've still got two months to go."

"Why did you try to attack us?" asked Ki.

"We thought that you posed a threat to Princess Wosret," said Seth. "But now it appears that you do not mean any harm. She is with us right now."

"Where is she?" asked Gil.

A woman who was sitting in the pavilion watching them came out to talk to the four. She was much like Queen Isis in appearance, but she was a good deal younger; not much older than Gil and Ki. She wore a long, white gown with a beautifully colored collar around the shoulders. She also wore colorful wristbands and a jeweled tiara. She wore jeweled sandals on her feet.

"Hello," said Gil. "Who are you?"

"This is Princess Wosret," said Horus.

"I know who you are," said Wosret. "You are the one who has slain Druaga. And she must be your beloved. It is nice to meet you two, Prince Gilgamesh and Lady Ki."

"Nice to meet you as well," said Gil.

"You have spoken with my mother, Queen Isis, right?" said Wosret.

"Yes, we have," said Ki. "She told us that you were her daughter. Why are you here?"

"Well," said Wosret, "I have come here with my mother. I wanted to go to Sumer to see Horus and Seth, so she let me. She is in Kish now. I heard that you wanted to speak with the emperor."

"We do," said Gil.

"That is what we wanted to do as well," said Seth. "We were not going to talk to the emperor alone, due to our discomfort with him, but now five of us will easily speak with him."

"Should we speak to him now?" asked Ki.

"Sure," said Horus.

"We have the Blue Crystal Rod," said Gil, "but promise not to touch it!"

"Of course we won't!" said Seth. "It's a very important item."

"We should speak with Bahlarant," said Horus. "Are you ready to speak with him?"

"I am," said Gil.

"Good," said Wosret. "Now let's go see the emperor."

Gil, Ki, Horus, Seth, and Wosret made their way out of the training yard and went to the front doors of the palace. They were closed. Ki then knocked on the door. It opened up.

"I guess we can go inside," she said.

The group went inside the palace. They walked in the throne room. In here, they saw Bahlarant sitting on his throne. By his side, instead of Lamia, there was a mysterious woman. She looked like Lamia, but with bluish hair and an uglier face. She was wearing a yellow dress. The sight of her was revolting. But who was she?

The group approached Bahlarant and the woman. Bahlarant, on his throne, was looking right at them. As usual, he looked rather angry. He stared at the group.

"What is it, bastards?" he said angrily.

"We would like to speak with you," said Gil.

"What do you want to speak with me about?" said Bahlarant. He was beginning to get angrier by the moment, so Ki thought that it would be better to back off. There was no turning back, though.

"What's going on?" asked Horus.

"You know damn well," said Bahkarant. "As you know, my wife has fallen ill. And I am letting people in this palace to pay their respects to her. Is that what you want?"

"No," said Seth.

"And who's _she_?" asked Wosret.

"I am an expert on healing," said the woman. "I am giving Bahlarant advice on how we can nurse Lamia back to health."

"We will not help you," said Gil.

"However, we will speak with Lamia," said Ki. "She might have some knowledge on what we need to do."

"And what is it that do you need to do?" asked the woman.

"We cannot tell you," said Gil.

"Why not?" asked the woman.

"It's an important mission," said Horus. "Seth, Wosret, and I promised Gil and Ki that we would not tell. And it is most certainly better that way."

"But I need to know!" said Bahlarant.

"You're not going to know!" yelled Gil, who felt like drawing his sword and attacking Bahlarant. However, he knew better, since the emperor could put the group to death.

"It seems that they won't give in," said the woman.

"I know why they won't," said Bahlarant. "Because Gilgamesh and Ki have the Blue Crystal Rod with them! They're planning on returning it to heaven! I will _not_ let that happen! Hand over the Blue Crystal Rod or face dire consequences!"

"We are still not going to hand it in," said Seth.

"Then I will put you all on the stake to burn!" yelled Bahlarant.

"That won't be necessary," said the woman. "I have met that brat Gilgamesh. Let me reveal who I am to them!" She began revealing her true form. As it turned out, she was really the messenger with the white and orange mantle, the one that had told Gil about Ki's capture. Bahlarant was shocked, and he immediately fled the scene.

"Now, you bastards," said the messenger, "give me the Blue Crystal Rod!"

"NO!" shouted the group.

"Then face my wrath!" said the messenger. It began to attack with a blast of magic, which it shot at Gil and Ki. However, the other three got them out of the way. The messenger started to come closer to the group. It shot another blast, but the group dodged it again. The messenger was not going to stop until it got the Blue Crystal Rod.

The messenger tried attacking a third time. This time, Ki did take out the Blue Crystal Rod, but she waved it in the air. A flamethrower shot out of the Blue Crystal Rod and hit the messenger. It backed away from them, sat on the throne, and panicked.

"Oh no!" it said. "You have defeated me…for now! However, this will not be the last of the evil that has taken this world. I will be immune to permanent death until you return the Blue Crystal Rod – which will not happen!"

The messenger disappeared.

"Phew!" said Seth. "That was a relief."

"It was," said Ki. "Now let's speak with Lamia. Bahlarant has probably gone to the palace basement, which is the safest place to be from that hideous being."

The group left the throne room and walked through the hallways of the palace. Eventually, they heard groaning in one room. This groaning came from none other than Lamia.

"Let's go in," said Ki.

The pair went in and saw Lamia reclining on a chair. She was wearing a sleeveless pink dress. Her hair had lost its color. She looked like she was drunk.

"What are you doing here?" she said angrily. "I don't want you to visit me or I will tell Bahlarant that you have violated my personal space and have you thrown out."

"He let us see you," said Horus.

"Gilgamesh and Ki are on a quest to get something for you," said Seth, thinking of a lie quickly so Lamia wouldn't know about the Blue Crystal Rod.

"And where are you headed to?" asked Lamia.

"Where do you think we are going?" Gil asked Seth, who decided to think of another lie to get past Lamia and Bahlarant, who were known for being shifty.

"We are going to the mountains," said Seth. "We need some special jewels to make jewelry for Your Highness. We need among the rarest, most expensive types in the Empire."

"Good," said Lamia. "But one thing…I'm going to die, morons! How the hell am I going to wear the jewels?"

"Wear it when they bury you," said Horus.

Lamia began telling a story. "It all started with my father, Zahhak," she said. "He was the last king of Persis, by then reduced to a few cities due to invasions from the Sumerian Empire. He took enjoyment in making the people suffer, and led us to war. When we went to war against Sumer, he was killed fighting. I was impressed by Bahlarant's fighting style, so I promised to give him the remnants of the kingdom. In turn, he married me. And we raised Namtar and Erra. And I was made into the grand woman I once was. But that was many years ago. Now my beauty, which is not matched by anyone, not even the goddess Ishtar, is going to fade…"

The group became enraged at Lamia.

"So," said Wosret, "you basically sold your own kingdom to Bahlarant so you could live the life of the wife of an emperor! How terrible! I can't believe some people…"

"And you said that you were more beautiful than the goddess Ishtar?" said Gil. "That is a serious offense!"

"And your point is…" said Lamia.

"We are not going to help you," said Ki. "I cannot believe that many people feel bad that you are dying. Even under pain of death, you are still a horrible person. You dare to sell out your kingdom and insult a god."

'Tell us where to go if we want to return the Rod," said Gil.

"All right!" said Lamia. "Gilgamesh and Ki, your next destination is the lair of the Succubus."

"What do you need her to do for us?" asked Ki.

"Just go there," said Lamia. "And get out of my sight!"

The group left the room and fled the royal palace. Later, Bahlarant came over. When Lamia told about how she sent Gil and Ki to Succubus' lair, he asked why.

"I want them to die," said Lamia.

"Good," said Bahlarant. "That will teach them!"

Meanwhile, in the town square, Horus, Seth, and Wosret told that they could go to Babylim, but not to Succubus' lair. Since it was getting late, they waited until the next day to leave. When that day came, they departed for Babylim.


	46. Sargon's Speech

Gil and Ki arrived in Babylim with Horus, Seth, and Wosret. The three were amazed at the grandeur of the city of Babylim.

"It's so lovely," said Wosret.

"I haven't seen anything like it," said Horus.

"We would love to stay and chat about the city," said Ki. "But there is someone that you should meet, and hopefully would like to meet. He is Sargon, the consul of Babylim."

"He should be in the royal palace of Babylim," said Gil. "Yesterday he had a day off, but now, he's probably back at the palace to work."

The group made their way to the royal palace. They went inside and walked to the throne room. In there, they saw Sargon sitting at the steps of the throne.

"Hello," said Gil.

"Hey, guys," said Sargon. "Hmm? You seem to have brought some new people with you? Who are these that have traveled here with you?"

"The two warriors are Horus and Seth," said Gil. "And the woman is Princess Wosret. She is the daughter of Queen Isis. They are all from Kemet."

"Greetings," said Sargon. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," said Wosret.

"So," said Sargon, "where are you headed to?"

"We are headed to Succubus' lair," said Gil. "Not all of us, though. Just me and Ki. The others decided that it would be too much for them to handle; after all, that Succubus is pretty shifty."

"Be careful," said Sargon.

"We will," said Ki.

"Oh, there's something else," said Sargon. "Today is a day that I have to give a speech to the people of Babylim. This is my second speech as consul. You missed the first one last week because you were still in the Tower of Druaga."

"Gil and I will be there. Where will it be held?"

"It will be in the meeting hall."

"Okay."

Later that day, everyone met at the meeting hall. Sargon dressed up for the occasion: he wore a fancy blue shirt and pants and a purple cape. Gil and Ki, however, wore their regular clothes. Horus, Seth, and Wosret also attended. Arzu and Alina were there as well. The doors were locked and the windows blacked out to prevent any Sumerians from coming in.

Sargon, who was standing at the lectern with papers in his hands, began reading aloud to the people in the audience. Gil and Ki looked at him quietly.

"Greetings," he said. "It is I, your consul. As we know, Bahlarant has loosened control on Babylim. But that does not mean that we should rejoice. We should defend ourselves from it, and fight for our right to be independent. We cannot live under this oppression forever!"

"Furthermore," he said, "I would like to name Prince Gilgamesh, being the one who was heir to the throne before the overthrow of Babylim and the death of Marduk, as the one who will become our king if we become independent. He has proved competent and valiant in his journey to save Lady Ki from the clutches of the evil Druaga. Give a round of applause for them!"

Everyone cheered for Gil and Ki.

"The two have the Blue Crystal Rod with them," said Sargon. "But they also need to return it to heaven where it belongs. If we do not do this, we cannot win against the hated Bahlarant." The speech continued, but Gil and Ki were not at all interested in the rest, so it will not be written here.

After the speech was over, Gil and Ki congratulated Sargon on his speech. "I couldn't have done it without the help of my wife," he said, "and my faith in you guys."

"It was good," said Gil, "even if it got boring at the end."

"I know," said Sargon. "I didn't write it. Someone else wrote it for me. That was why it was so boring. If I was the one that had written it, it would have been a lot shorter."

Horus, Seth, and Wosret came up to Gil and Ki. "So," said Horus. "I guess this is goodbye for now."

"It is," said Ki. "Thanks for your help. See you soon!"

"Bye!" they said.

When Gil and Ki left the meeting hall, Arzu told them that the next day would be a good one to pay another visit to Ishtar. Right now, however, was too late. The two went back to Sargon's house and went to bed.

The next day, Gil and Ki visited the temple of Ishtar. As usual, Ishtar was sitting on her throne, looking at Gil and Ki.

"Greetings," she said. "How are you?"

"We are doing good," said Gil. "We have come back to Babylim after learning where our next destination is."

"I see that your next destination is the lair of Succubus," said Ishtar. "I want you to remain watchful of Succubus, though. Do not fall for any of her tricks."

"We will be on the lookout," said Ki. "Don't worry. We will not let her deceive us."

"We visited the Sumerian royal palace the other day," said Gil. "We refused to give the Rod to Bahlarant and the messenger. Bahlarant left the scene, but the messenger tried to attack us. Ki slew it with the Blue Crystal Rod."

"Right," said Ishtar. "The messenger may be gone, but it has not disappeared from the world. You will only be able to destroy it completely when you return the Blue Crystal Rod to heaven, for Druaga had fed it power."

"Then we went to see Lamia," said Ki. "It was bad enough that she told how she sold out Persis to Bahlarant years ago, but when she insulted you, that was the last straw. She said that she was more beautiful than you."

"I heard Lamia say that," said Ishtar. "If anything that us gods hear best, it's people insulting us. I will not punish her, but Anu said that she can expect to die soon. Don't tell anyone, though."

"We won't," said Ki.

"As for the Succubus' lair," said Gil. "What should we do?"

"There are two people that can help you," said Ishtar. "You know of Kuma the woodsman, right?" Gil and Ki nodded their heads. "Well, he's able to help you. He knows the woods very well, and can lead you to Succubus' lair. There is also a man that you may meet. He is known as Kansa. Kansa is said to know more about Succubus. He is a close friend of Kuma. Both will accompany you to Succubus' lair."

"Thanks," said Ki.

"By the way," said Ishtar, "there is an item that Succubus is guarding. It is the Thunder of Raman. Bring it back, and I will tell you what to do with it."

"Thank you," said Gil. "We will get it. We better get going. See you soon!"

Gil and Ki left the temple of Ishtar. Then, they went to the east and walked into the forest.


	47. Getting to Succubus' Lair

Gil and Ki walked through the forest. The forest was a long line of trees with open paths. Various animals ran through the woods. Many types of wildflowers grew under the trees. There were birds flying overhead.

"Which way is Kuma's house?" asked Ki. "I haven't seen him in a long time. I know he lives in the woods – but I'm not sure where exactly his house is."

"I know the directions by heart," said Gil. "First, we walk until we see a sign with blue script that tells us the directions on it. Then, we go to a junction and go right to the right. We go right until we reach a four-way corner. We go north from there. Then, we will enter the hedge clearing through the lower left opening. From there, we go to the upper left opening and from there we find Kuma's house."

"That's good," said Ki. "Let's get going now."

Gil and Ki walked in the directions that Gil had provided: first to the sign, then right towards the intersection, and then in the hedge clearing. In there, they heard someone walking.

"Who is that?" asked Ki.

"I don't know," said Gil. "Whoever that is should reveal themselves. I did not think that anyone would be able to find us in these woods, since few people go in them."

The person revealed themselves. It was a woman. Her hair was long and red. She was clad in a long, blue tunic over her white clothing. Her feet were clad in boots. She had a scimitar at her side. She walked towards Gil and Ki. The two thought that they had seen her before.

"Excuse me," said Ki. "I think that we have seen you before – at the camp of the travelers from Persis, but you were not wielding any weapons or ready for hiking. Do we know you?"

"You do know me," said the woman. "It's me, Rukhsana, one of the travelers at the camp. I have not had the chance to talk to you, so I wanted to see how you were doing."

"Why are you in the woods?" asked Gil.

"I was given a task," said Rukhsana. "My great-grandmother wanted me to give you advice on how to get past Succubus, but I will tell you later. You should not be deceived, though. It almost happened about eighty years ago, when she went to visit this area. She stumbled upon the lair of Succubus, and the two met face to face. Succubus told her about the Bolts of the Underworld. She claimed they could take anyone to the underworld, and people who have been there could visit the gods. But the bolts are heavily guarded."

"What could someone do there?" asked Gil. "Besides being in a state of purgatory. It is said that those who have been undecided on whether they are good or bad go to the underworld when they die. The good go to heaven, but the bad suffer eternal punishment. Their heart is fed to a monster."

"Ick," said Rukhsana. "So, are you looking for something in the woods? I hear that this is the place where Kuma the woodsman lives."

"We are looking for Kuma's house," said Ki. "His house is not too far from here. We have room in our group for one more person. Care to join us on our journey to Succubus' lair?"

Rukhsana thought about whether or not she should go. She wanted to see what Succubus had for them, but she knew that Succubus was untrustworthy and something bad could happen to her. But at last, when Gil asked Rukhsana if she had made up her mind, she said she would go.

"Good," said Gil. "Now let's go to Kuma's house."

The three went through the upper left opening.

Not too long after, Gil, Ki, and Rukhsana reached Kuma's house. Gil knocked on the door. Kuma came to the door quickly and opened it. He looked quite active despite his age.

"Hello," said Gil.

"It's Gil!" said Kuma. "And I see that you have brought Ki with you as well. I have heard of your exploits. And…there is someone else with you now. Who is this person?"

"This is Rukhsana," said Ki. "She is a traveler from Persis. She would like to come with us to Succubus' lair." Kuma greeted Rukhsana.

"I can see you need to go there," said Kuma. "But it will be dark by the time you reach her lair. You can sleep here until tomorrow, and then we can go to the lair of Succubus. I will accompany you."

"Okay," said Gil. "We will go tomorrow."

The group rested there overnight.

In the morning, after the group had breakfast, someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" asked Gil. "I guess I'll open it to see who it is."

Gil went over to the door and opened it. There was a man standing at the door. He was relatively tall. He had black hair and a mustache on his face. He wore a yellow tunic and a matching hat. Under his tunic were a brown shirt and a pair of brown pants. On his feet was a pair of brown boots. He wielded a staff.

"Hello," said Gil.

"Hello," said the man.

"Are you Kansa by any chance?" asked Gil.

"Yes," said the man. "I am Kansa. I am here to accompany you to the lair of Succubus. I have heard about you, and I have traveled here from my home village of Damu along the Tigris River to get here."

"Come in," said Kuma. Kansa walked inside.

Kansa sat down at the table, which Gil, Ki, and Rukhsana had helped clear. The group introduced themselves to Kansa, and then they began serious talk about traveling to the lair of Succubus.

"I have had an encounter with Succubus before," said Kansa. "Succubus is also known as Ereshkigal. She was an assistant to Druaga long ago. Some even say that they were in love. But once Druaga was defeated by Ishtar, Ereshkigal went into hiding in a cave. She was said to appear in the nightmares of men, so she began to be known as Succubus."

"I had encountered her myself," Kansa continued, "at the ruins of an ancient shrine to the storm god five years ago. I was curious about the place, as I was once said god's priest. I found this staff behind the remains of the altar. She then spotted me and tried to attack. I tried to ward her off with the staff, but we had a peaceful conversation after that. She said to come back with others if I wanted to return at all."

"Interesting," said Rukhsana. "I'm glad that you were able to talk with her."

"Interesting indeed," said Gil. "And I guess we will be the others to come with you."

"We would like you to accompany us," said Ki.

"I'm up to it," said Kansa.

"Excellent," said Gil. "Now let's go see Succubus (and hopefully outwit her)." The group left Kuma's cottage and went into the woods.

The group of five strolled through the woods. As they went along, it began to get darker. An eerie breeze blew around. The sounds of forest animals filled the air.

"What lies ahead looks creepy," said Rukhsana. "Are you sure we would like to go through here? I'm beginning to doubt that we should even be here."

"Press onward," said Kuma. "This going to be a great adventure."

"Besides," said Kansa, "this will be needed for Gil and Ki to return the Blue Crystal Rod to heaven. We should go forward and worry about it when we enter Succubus' lair."

The group pressed onward. Soon, they found themselves at the entrance of a cave. They hesitated at first, but then they went in. The entrance had a large collection of stalactites hanging from the ceiling. There were bats flying along the ceiling, but these were harmless; certainly not the same type of bats that Gil had encountered in the Tower of Druaga. Other than the bats' flapping, the cave was completely silent.

Gil, Ki, Rukhsana, Kansa, and Kuma walked forward through the cave. As the group walked along, the cave got darker and darker. They could not see a thing ahead of them.

"It's getting dark," said Rukhsana. "And we have no lantern. Maybe we should turn back."

"We can't," said Gil. "Lamia wants me and Ki to go deep inside the lair."

"You know she's just telling you to go into Succubus' lair so you will die," said Rukhsana.

"Why would she do that?" asked Kansa. "I thought that was Bahlarant's job."

"Kansa, do you live under a rock?" yelled Ki. "It's obvious that Lamia wants us dead. She is pure evil, after all. But we won't have to worry about her. With that disease of hers getting progressively worse, she can expect to die soon. She's just mean, got that? Or did I not make myself clear?"

"Now then," said Kuma, "No need to fight. Just walk forward."

Then, the group walked forward more. Soon, they found a rock door in the wall.

"How do we open it?" asked Gil.

"Let me try," said Kansa.

Kansa saw a puzzle on the door. It had a riddle engraved in it, but it was in an odd language. Gil and Ki had never heard of this language before, so they couldn't read it. Rukhsana read it carefully. "It is an extinct language," she said. "One that hasn't been spoken for hundreds of years. It looks like the language of Persis, so I can understand it."

She read it. It had a riddle. "How many triangles are in this picture?" it said. Above it was a pile of dust. She brushed it away to reveal a drawing of sixteen triangles forming one large triangle.

Rukhsana carefully counted the triangles. "There are twenty-seven."

The door opened instantly. Gil looked at the wall and saw a small opening in it. He looked inside and found a crystalline orb. "Hmm…" he said. "This will not help us get to Succubus' lair, but it might be able to impress her."

The group walked to the end of the hall and found a door. They thought that it would be the way forward, so they opened it. When they stepped in, the rock door closed behind them.

"Oh my!" said Rukhsana. "What will we do in here?"

"We should go ahead from here," said Kansa.

Gil took a few steps further, but then a wooden spike trap with a skeleton on it jutted out of the wall. Everyone was taken aback. Still, they pressed onward.

The group walked even further. After a while, a crowd of ogres and Lizard Men came out of nowhere. They started attacking the group. Gil drew his sword and charged at them. Rukhsana drew her scimitar and attacked two ogres that were hovering over her. Kansa attacked the enemies as well, while Ki shot spells at them. The four hacked and slashed at the ogres and Lizard Men until their remains lay on the floor.

"Phew!" said Gil. "That was a relief."

The group found a stream. At first, they couldn't get across, but then they found a wooden plank and walked across. Then they found a winding tunnel. This tunnel was the last thing to pass before Succubus' lair could be found. The group ran through the tunnel quickly in the hope that no more enemies would show up. And none did.

Finally, at the end of the tunnel, the group saw a large room with a statue of Succubus hanging above an opening. This was the entrance to Succubus' home, which hadn't gotten a visitor since Parvana had visited. The ogres and Lizard Men had helped make Succubus' lair all but impenetrable.

Gil, Ki, Rukhsana, Kansa, and Kuma looked at the opening.

"Hello?" asked Gil.

"Come in," said a voice.

The group went in the opening.


	48. Succubus' Lair

Gil, Ki, Rukhsana, Kansa, and Kuma entered Succubus' lair. They walked forward, looking at all the skeletons hanging from the walls. They were old and blood-stained. Indeed, few made it out of her lair alive. There were also torches on the walls. The whole room had an eerie feeling.

"I don't like this," said Rukhsana.

"We can't go back just yet," said Kansa. "We have to talk to Succubus."

"That's right," said Gil. "We must also present this gift to her and maybe she'll have something important to say to us. However, she's pretty sly, so we'd better be careful."

The group saw Succubus sitting in a throne. She was tall and proud, wearing a tiara with a dark glass jewel. In her right hand was a scepter with a matching jewel. She was flanked by two pedestals with red orbs in them. She sat, clad in a sash, just looking at the group.

"Greetings," said Kansa. "We would like to make our acquaintance with you. If you don't mind, we would like to talk with you for a while." He knew, though, that they were going to flee soon afterwards.

Succubus did not want the group to know of her true intentions immediately, so she pretended to be nice. "I would love to have this excellent group of visitors," she said. "Come in and sit down."

"We'd rather stand," said Gil.

"Fine by me," said Succubus.

"We need to stand because we have something important to show you," said Ki. "Gil has something in his satchel that you would probably love to see."

"Important, you say?" said Succubus.

"Yes," said Kuma. "Show her, Gil."

Gil took the crystalline orb out of his satchel and held it up. The orb shined brightly. Succubus looked at it with great lust and desire.

"Why, it's gorgeous!" said Succubus. "I will take that from you now. It will be a great addition to my collection of treasures. I keep many in a private room." She took the crystalline orb right out of Gil's hands.

Gil looked quickly at Kuma and talked to him quietly. "Kuma!" he whispered in a rather annoyed tone. "Why didn't you ask her about how to get to the underworld?"

"That's next," said Kuma. "Be patient or she might not tell us. Now, go ahead and tell her. If you don't, you may never know what to do to return the Blue Crystal Rod!"

"Okay," said Gil. "Here I go."

Gil looked at Succubus more seriously than before. "Succubus," he said. "There is one more thing I would like to ask you before we go. It is something very significant and we need your help."

Succubus was surprised. "My help?" she said. "Well, go on. I have much help to offer anyone."

Rukhsana walked over to Gil and whispered in his ear. "Gil!" she said, annoyed. "What are you doing? Don't you know that she's on to you?"

"We'll try to trick her," Kansa whispered to Rukhsana, being careful so that Succubus wouldn't hear. "Do go on, Gil," he said to Gil in his normal tone.

Gil took a step closer to Succubus. "Succubus," he said nervously. "This is what I need to tell you: Me and Ki are trying to get to the underworld so we can…" He became too nervous to go further.

"Yes?" said Succubus.

"Well, we are going to…" Gil hesitated.

"Go on," said Succubus.

"We are…we are…"

"Go ahead with what you're trying to say or I will attack you!" Succubus yelled. Gil's hesitation had made Succubus lose her patience completely. The group, except for Kuma, stepped back in fear.

All of a sudden, Gil lost control and snapped. "We are trying to get to the underworld as part of our quest to return the Blue Crystal Rod to heaven! And we are trying to convince you to give us something that can do it easily! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?"

At this comment Succubus lay down her scepter. Next thing the group knew, Succubus was poised for attack. Her wings were flapping swiftly, her face was red, and her fists were shaking.

"You brat!" she yelled at Gil. "How dare you try to play dumb with me, Ereshkigal, the Deceiver! If you thought that I was going to give you one of my two Bolts of the Underworld, you are seriously deluded!"

"But we just want to do this so peace can be restored to the world!" yelled Ki.

"Peace restored?" yelled Succubus. "I do not want that! I take enjoyment in seeing you humans suffer at the hands of the Sumerian Empire! But now it is time for me to thrash and kill you bastards!"

"And what will that accomplish?" asked Kuma.

"Well," said Succubus, "once I am through with you, I will speak with Bahlarant, give one of the Bolts of the Underworld, and go to the underworld to get Druaga out of there and back into the world!"

The entire group was shocked.

"WHAT?" screamed Gil. "You mean that Druaga's not completely destroyed? I thought that the death blow I gave him in his tower spelled the end of him!"

"Think again," said Succubus. "Druaga is immortal, and can only be destroyed with the Blue Crystal Rod and the power of Anu. But he is still angry at the humans, so the chances of that are slim. Now, time for you to die!"

Succubus picked up her scepter and started to shoot lightning bolts out of it. The group ran across the room and tried dodging them. As the group dodged the lightning bolts, Succubus became more and more enraged. She began shooting killer clouds, which were even more powerful. Eventually, while Succubus was charging for a powerful blast, the group hid behind some skeletons.

"We're doomed!" said Gil. "How will we be able to get past Succubus? She's too powerful! And I can't just kill her, because she's learned spells since I last saw her!"

Suddenly, Kuma had an idea. "I know!" he said. "I will get close to her and grab her scepter. It may be a great risk for me, but it might knock her unconscious, hopefully for long enough for you to get to the underworld and return the Rod. Some of these killer cloud spells can keep demons asleep for weeks."

"Are you crazy?" said Ki. "You'll die!"

"True," he said. "But I'd rather die than see you get killed."

Succubus then zapped the skeletons and exposed everyone. "You can't hide from me!" she said.

The group ran around the room. Kuma told the others to go in the hallway, while he would deal with Succubus. They quickly bade him farewell, and then ran away. While Succubus was charging for another attack, she accidentally dropped her scepter. Kuma grabbed it and used it to create a killer cloud. Both of them fell to the ground. Succubus was rendered asleep, but Kuma had sacrificed his life.

Quickly, the remainder of the group found Succubus' storage room and went inside. They looked around for a Bolt of the Underworld. Eventually, Ki found one buried deep within a treasure chest. Kansa found a teleportation stone near it. This could be used to get out quickly.

"Let's get out of here!" she said.

Kansa rubbed the teleportation stone. It was consumed by light, and the group ended up outside of the cave.

"That was a relief!" said Rukhsana.

"I still miss Kuma," said Kansa. "But it was brave of him to sacrifice himself to save Gil and Ki."

"Now we must report back to Ishtar," said Ki.

"And Sargon's probably beginning to get worried about us," said Gil. "I would like to see him again. I guess this is goodbye." Gil and Ki said goodbye to Rukhsana and Kansa and ran into the woods. What they didn't see was that Rukhsana kissed Kansa before the two walked away.

Succubus was still unconscious, and didn't wake up yet…

Gil and Ki ran through the woods, hastily making sure that they had the Bolt of the Underworld, which they would show Ishtar the next day.

The first thing that the two did was go back to Sargon's house to get some rest. The next day was Ki's birthday, so Gil and Ki went to celebrate it with Ki's family rather than going on with the quest. The day after that, Gil and Ki went to visit Ishtar in her temple.

Ishtar looked at the Bolt of the Underworld. "I see that you have recovered one of these," she said. "Good work!"

"Rukhsana told us about it," said Gil. "She's been around. A man by the name of Kansa helped us too. Kuma the woodsman gave his life to save us from Succubus. He rendered her unconscious."

"Amazing!" said Ishtar.

"What do we do now?" said Ki. "Can we activate it here?"

"No," said Ishtar. "You must go far from here, and it will activate an opening in there. Your best bet is to go a few miles into the desert west of Babylim. The villagers to the west should provide you with camels."

Gil and Ki looked hesitant, but then they agreed. "We will do so," said Gil.

"Now go off!" said Ishtar. "Remember…after visiting the underworld you will be able to activate the Stone of the Heavens and be able to return the Blue Crystal Rod!"

Gil and Ki nodded their heads, and then left the temple. They made their way to the village to the west.

But Gil and Ki would get a big shocker once they reach the underworld…


	49. Getting to the Underworld

Gil and Ki entered the village in the west. This village was made up of only a couple of residences, totaling about sixty people. It was quite small – perhaps the whole royal palace and its grounds might not even have been able to fit inside. But there was something important to Ki in this village – her grandmother, Minu, lived here.

The first thing that Gil and Ki did was look around for Minu's house. This would be rather hard, considering all the houses looked alike. But Ki remembered that her grandmother's house had an engraving of a crescent on the door. They found the house located in the southeast corner.

Ki knocked on the door. "Grandmother?" she asked. "Are you available?"

Minu opened the door. She was a wizened old woman, but still much younger than Parvana. She was wearing a long, beige dress. Her hair was covered with a headscarf. She was smiling.

"Come in," she said.

Gil and Ki went inside Minu's house, where they told her about their destination. "Oh my," she said. "It's amazing that you can do such a thing."

"I know," said Gil. "But we will."

"Can I offer you any food before you go?" asked Minu.

"Sure," said Gil. "I think we need some."

Minu offered Gil and Ki some fruit to eat. After the two were done, Ki remembered Succubus.

"We stole a Bolt of the Underworld from Succubus," she said. "Succubus was knocked unconscious by Kuma messing around with her scepter, but it cost him his own life. I feel bad for him, but unfortunately, it's too soon to mourn him."

"I hope Succubus is still unconscious," said Gil.

"I am just really glad that you are safe," said Minu. "How was it in the tower?"

"It was awful," said Ki, "until Gil defeated Druaga and saved me. We are now trying to return the Blue Crystal Rod. And we are almost there! We just need to go to the underworld and see what to do next."

"Is there anything else you need?" asked Minu.

"We need camels," said Gil.

"We have them out back," said Minu.

Minu led Gil and Ki to the stable where the camels were. She took two camels out of there and led them to the pair. Then she spoke to Gil and Ki.

"These camels," said Minu, "are the fastest camels that I have. They should lead you to where the opening to the underworld is said to lie. These camels can assure you that you will get there in no time!"

"Great!" said Gil. He got on one of the camels and helped Ki get onto hers.

"We're ready to go," said Ki.

"Okay," said Minu. "Goodbye and good luck!"

The two rode the camels out of the village and into the woods, where they were led to a field of scrub. However, not all was good. There was someone watching them…

The watcher was none other than Succubus. She had awoken from her coma, and found that one of her Bolts of the Underworld had been stolen. Now, she was outraged, though she planned to tell her ploy to Bahlarant.

Succubus went to the palace in disguise, where she saw Bahlarant walking in the courtyard, seemingly upset. Zeresh was by his side, standing coldly.

"Bahlarant," said Succubus, "what's going on now?"

"Something has happened," said Bahlarant. "Lamia died last night, and I am trying to make arrangements for her funeral. I have gotten my slaves to find jewels in the eastern provinces. Then they would be used for her coffin. I have also gotten my generals and Zeresh to organize a procession in Sumer. But I'm still not satisfied with anything."

"I don't want you to fret," said Succubus. "But it is I, Ereshkigal, Lady of Chaos! But you shall call me Succubus, as you have probably heard of me by that name. I am here to tell you of my great scheme. I am planning to get to the underworld."

"Why?" asked Bahlarant.

"So I can bring Druaga back," said Succubus. "He's not destroyed completely. He can only be destroyed for good by Anu's use of the Blue Crystal Rod. I told it to Gil, Ki, and the others when they went to my lair."

"I admire this plan of yours," said Zeresh. "I really do. If it will get those nasty brats out of the way, I'm up to it!"

"As for the underworld...how will I get there?"

"Don't go. Stay here and help me plan it. I will use a Bolt of the Underworld. I still have one that was not stolen by those bastards. Now then, while Gil, Ki, and the guards are distracted, I will get Druaga out of his cell quickly and then we will be victorious!"

The two began to laugh wickedly. Bahlarant then agreed to Succubus' plan. He would endow her wit a disguise, provided that she would help him with Lamia's funeral after Druaga was back on earth. Then, Druaga would reveal his desires.

And now back to Gil and Ki…

The pair rode onwards, across the desert. The sand blew across their faces. They wandered for miles on end, almost getting dehydrated in the process. Eventually, after about fifteen miles, Ki spotted something.

"Gil!" she said. "Look ahead!"

"What is it?" asked Gil.

"I see something up ahead," said Ki.

"Let's go see what it is," said Gil.

Gil and Ki rode up ahead to the object that Ki spotted. They looked closely at it. It was something quite unusual to see in the desert. This object was an entrance rising out of the sand. It was made of stone. This entrance would lead Gil and Ki to the underworld when they went inside.

"Should we go in?" asked Ki.

"We have to," said Gil. "It's the entrance to the underworld."

"Let's tie up the camels," said Gil.

The pair dismounted. Next, they tied the camels to a pillar on the entrance. Then, they went inside the opening – into the dreaded underworld, where they were in for a huge shock…


	50. In the Underworld

Now Gil and Ki were in the underworld. The two found themselves in a room with a portal at one end. They looked around. It was dark and gloomy. There were stalactites and stalagmites all around, the former looking like eerie chandeliers and the latter like dark pillars.

The two looked at the portal at the end of the room. The portal had two blue pillars holding a mysterious opening. There was a mysterious creature standing near it. This creature was something that Gil and Ki were shocked to see. They found the creature to be quite repulsive in appearance. But it would be best not to say it, since there might be helpful advice he can offer.

The creature guarding the portal was quite ugly indeed. He looked rather like an insect that was the size of a human. He had a deep green body covered in scales that took a shape similar to armor. The creature also had four long, skinny arms, the upper pair of which held a trident in each hand. His upper chest was thick, while his lower chest and waist were very thin. He had two huge eyes, which had irises the same color as the pupils. His mouth was rather insect-like.

Gil and Ki approached the creature carefully, trying not to look away as they drew closer and closer to him. They had a bad feeling that he would be a malevolent creature that would harm them.

"Greetings," said Gil. "I am Gil, and this here is Ki. We were assigned to go to the underworld as part of our journey to return the Blue Crystal Rod to heaven. I hope you can understand us."

"Please," said Ki, "we will be good to you. We promise that we will not try to harm you. We will respect the underworld and its ruler. I hope you can understand us…I really do…"

The creature stared at them for a minute, and then spoke. "Children," he said in a rather eerie but kind voice, "I understand your quest. Me and the other guardians know of your quest in the Tower of Druaga."

"Excellent," said Gil. "What can we do here? I just heard that we had to go to the underworld for a while, but nothing else. Is there anything at all?"

"Well," said the green guardian, "this is the underworld. As you might know, it has two uses; a purgatory and a hell. The hell is where the bad go when they die. The purgatory was where the undecided would wait, but Anu has kept the good down there lately due to his anger at the humans, the former king and queen of Babylim included. I don't know why, since they haven't done anything wrong at all. You are their son, aren't you?"

"Yes," said Gil.

"I figured that you were," said the green guardian. "Down here, we admire your bravery and strength. We would love to have you stay a while…"

"We will stay with you," said Ki. "But we can't for long. Can we speak with the king and queen? It would mean so much to Gil if you allowed us to."

The green guardian hesitated at first, but then he responded. "Yes," he said. "I will allow you to speak with King Marduk and Queen Ninsun. Another guardian will watch over you while you do so."

"Thank you so much!" said Gil.

"No problem," said the green guardian. "Now then, I shall allow you into the underworld. Go through this portal and I will lead you to the chamber of purgatory, where you can see the king and queen."

Gil, Ki, and the green guardian walked into the portal.

But they weren't the only ones to go through. Succubus had crossed the desert and found a way to get in the underworld. She would sneak in unnoticed and find Druaga so she could release him.

Gil, Ki, and the green guardian found themselves in the underworld. It was like a huge cave in there, but there was no visible ceiling. There were no living things there except for the guardians. The ground was like solid rock, but emitted strange lights. Visible in the distance was the palace of the underworld god. Gil and Ki thought that it would be better to leave him be.

The green guardian showed Gil and Ki around the underworld. He led them to the hell, which was through a red portal. There were various voids, which acted like the holding cells of the bad depending on the sin they had committed when alive. There were chambers for many sins: lust, infidelity, greed, wrath, hatred, sloth, arrogance, hatred of the gods, and causing chaos.

While Gil and Ki were led through, they saw spirits flying around. They saw the many figures of history that had done wickedness in the eyes of the gods. In the void for hubris, Gil and Ki were not surprised when they saw the spirit of Lamia.

"And there is one more being who I should show to you…" said the green guardian. "Follow me."

The green guardian led the pair to a building, where there was a blue guardian that was blocking the entrance. The blue guardian recognized the green one, and let them in.

The room was big – it took up the whole building. There were grey stone walls on all but one of the walls. The back wall had pillars with a mysterious background of red and blue stripes.

Inside this room was none other than Druaga. He was as evil and hideous as ever, with his eight arms positioned to attack and his four legs sprawling in an intimidating way. Yet Druaga was not even moving. He was frozen in there. While the guardians knew a way to release him, they knew better than to do such a thing.

"He's frozen for a reason," said the blue guardian. "Druaga tried to get out when he was first brought here, but we found a way to freeze him. We would get our master to help us use magic to stop him. Our combined powers froze Druaga, and he's been that way ever since."

"I just remembered…" said Gil. "Weren't you going to let us see my parents?"

"Yes," said the green guardian. "Let's get out of here and see them."

Gil, Ki, and the green guardian left, while the blue guardian went to tell the underworld god about the visitors. While that was happening, Succubus was searching for Druaga.

"Damn!" she said. "This place is so big, I can't find him anywhere! He's probably in hell. Those gods must have sent him there after that little scoundrel slew him." But after a while, she stumbled upon the building where Druaga was located.

Gil and Ki were led to a light blue gateway, which was the gateway to purgatory. It was guarded by a red guardian. "Can I help you?" said the red guardian.

"I am showing these two around," said the green guardian. "Care to do that for me?"

"I will," said the red guardian. The green guardian left while Gil, Ki, and the red guardian walked through the gateway.

In purgatory, there were also several voids, but the pair decided to ignore them. They just walked forward, until Gil had something to say.

"Excuse me," said Gil. "How can I find my parents, King Marduk and Queen Ninsun? They must be in here somewhere."

The red guardian pondered for a while. "Hmm…they must be in the void with a green glow. I think I saw them in there a few times." He held up his tridents, and waved them around, chanting so he could summon the king and queen.

At last, a white light appeared. The light lit up a circle in front of the three. The king and queen of Babylim's spirits were taking shape. After a few minutes, the light was gone, and they appeared entirely.

"I'll leave you alone," said the red guardian. He looked at Gil. "You seem to be getting emotional about it." He had noticed that Gil was in great shock at what happened.

When the red guardian backed away, Gil and Ki began to talk to the spirits of Marduk and Ninsun. Though they were quite happy to see them, the pair was still awestruck.

"Your Highness," said Ki. "It's us, Gil and Ki."

"Gil!" said Marduk. "I'm glad to see you. I've heard of your exploits against Druaga."

"And you still have the Rod with you," said Ninsun, "Do you?"

"We do," said Ki. She showed the Blue Crystal Rod to the king and queen. "I'm bringing it with me along the journey to protect myself and Gil. We need your help."

"There is not much we can do," said Marduk. "We're dead, and we're stuck here until the Blue Crystal Rod is returned to heaven and you regain Anu's favor with humanity. Then our spirits can be set free."

"You must do it yourself," said Ninsun. "Only you can defeat Druaga once and for all. There is still a chance that he might escape, for great evil lies in the world."

"Succubus told us about what she was trying to do with Druaga," said Ki.

"Be wary, you two," said Marduk. "Succubus is a tricky one. She will not play nicely. You must stop her as well. Like Druaga, she is capable of causing chaos to the world."

"But we can't do it by ourselves," said Gil. "I wish you were able to help us."

"We can only give you advice," said Ninsun.

"Believe in yourself, Gil," said Marduk. "I have faith in you that even if Druaga escapes, you have the courage to defeat him again – and once and for all. And you too, Ki. You must be brave as well. Don't let your guard down."

Gil felt like crying, since he was quite happy to do this, but he couldn't. Instead, he listened to his parents' advice.

"We will be brave," said Gil. "And I am glad that you can still encourage us."

"We are glad, too," said Marduk.

Gil and Ki talked with Marduk and Ninsun for a while more, until the king and queen told the pair that it was time for them to go. Gil and Ki bade Marduk and Ninsun farewell and went back to the red guardian. Then they left purgatory.

As for Succubus, she saw Druaga frozen in his cell. She was quite shocked to see him there. "What have they done to you?" she said. As was expected, Druaga was unable to answer. She eventually got so frustrated, she let out a jolt of lightning with her Bolt of the Underworld. It struck Druaga, and he began vibrating. Succubus could not believe her eyes. Druaga had become mobile once again.

"Succubus!" said Druaga. "You have set me free from this vile prison! Now we can get out of this world!"

"How fortunate is it for me to see you again!" said Succubus. "Now let's get out of here before those annoying guards come back. When we get back to Sumer and I present you to Bahlarant, he will be so overjoyed! However, after that, you must return to your tower and then you can cause more chaos!'

"Agreed," said Druaga. "And meet me there. I shall then rule this world with an iron fist!"

The two got out quickly and returned to the regular world.

Meanwhile, Gil and Ki were telling the green guardian and red guardian about their plans on what to do after the Blue Crystal Rod was returned to heaven, but then the blue guardian came running to them.

"Oh no!" said the blue guardian. "You're not going to believe this! Someone has barged into the underworld and took Druaga with them! Now he's back on earth! What are we going to do?"

"It wasn't our faults," said Gil.

"I know it wasn't," said the red guardian.

"Gil! Ki!" said the blue guardian. "When you go back to earth, you should go to Ishtar right away! Get her help so you can appeal to Anu and ask him for the power to defeat Druaga!"

"You two are our only hope," said the green guardian. "Now get there!"

Gil and Ki were puzzled for a moment. But then they saw that a light was shining around them. This light grew and grew. The guardians could not bear to look at it. The light eventually consumed Gil and Ki, who bade the guardians farewell.

Next thing Gil and Ki knew, they were back in the temple of Ishtar. What were they to do now?


	51. The Recovery of Babylim

Now that Gil and Ki were back in the temple of Ishtar, they didn't know what to do. Being a goddess, Ishtar would obviously know about Succubus helping Druaga escape the underworld. The two thought that she would be angry. They needed to pray to her quickly - or else!

Gil found a scroll and handed it to Ki. Ki took a strip of paper from it. She wrote on it quickly and laid it on the altar. It began to glow, and Ki got an answer as swiftly as she sent it.

Ishtar appeared before them. Her head was hung down low. She looked a little disappointed and also very sad, but she was not angry. Gil and Ki were so relieved to see her. They wanted her to help them.

"Ishtar!" begged Gil. "I am very sorry. It was not my fault that Succubus woke up, followed us to the underworld, and escaped! I didn't know that she was capable of doing such a thing."

"Please," pleaded Ki. "We didn't mean any harm. We were about to get out of there and return the Blue Crystal Rod. At least I didn't lose it to her! Please – understand us!"

Ishtar looked at them. "I am not angry at you," she said softly. "But I am very upset over what happened. You didn't put the world in grave danger once again. Succubus did. Right now she is presenting Druaga to Bahlarant, and they are planning to go to the Tower of Druaga together."

"Oh, no!" said Gil. "I can't believe them!"

"Can't you do anything about it?" asked Ki.

"I'm afraid I can't, Ki," said Ishtar. "Druaga is now more powerful than ever before. I cannot defeat him on my own. But all hope is not lost. There still is a way to defeat Druaga. Come back in a week. While that is happening, I will appeal to Anu. Now go and get some rest. Tomorrow you can talk to someone."

"Okay," said Ki. "See you in about a week! Hope it works out!"

Gil and Ki looked around outside. It was dark and cloudy out. The pair went to see Sargon, but he wasn't at his home. Alina was there, though. She was feeling fine, but she was looking out of the window in sadness.

"Hello, Gil and Ki," said Alina.

"Hello, Alina," said Ki.

"Where is Sargon?" asked Gil.

"He has run away from home," said Alina. "He's still in Babylim, probably sleeping in an inn. You can see him tomorrow. But you should be careful when talking to him. He had faith in you, but now he feels betrayed. I know that it wasn't your fault. I think it was more likely the work of that rotten Succubus. She probably got Druaga out of the underworld."

Gil and Ki sighed, and then nodded their heads in agreement.

"I think you should get some sleep," said Alina. "Good night!"

Gil and Ki went to the guest bedroom and went to sleep.

The next morning, after the pair had had their breakfast, they went to look for Sargon. He was not at the palace or at the temple of Ishtar. Gil and Ki then tried to find someone who knew where Sargon was. Then, they stumbled across Arzu. She was clad in a dark mantle.

"Hello, Arzu," said Gil.

"I'm glad to see you," said Arzu. "You missed something early this morning. Druaga had announced his return to the world once again. I guess you were too heavily asleep to hear it."

"I am a heavy sleeper," said Gil. "And I'm also worried about what will become of the world now that Druaga is back on earth."

"We are looking for someone that has gone missing," said Ki.

"Who?" asked Arzu.

"It's someone that you probably know of," said Gil. "He's been missing since last night, and his pregnant wife is worried sick about him. And me and Ki are as well."

"Sargon?" asked Arzu. "I am worried about him too. I know where he is, though. Sargon is in the tavern in the southeast of the city. He's quite depressed and kind of upset with you."

"Alina told us," said Ki. "He feels that we betrayed him."

"We'll go look for him," said Gil. "And we'll speak more with you later. See you then!"

Gil and Ki walked away from Arzu and towards the tavern.

When the pair reached the tavern, they opened up. Inside, they saw various people either chatting, drinking, or sitting. Sargon was at a table all by himself. He was visibly upset – in fact, he was crying. He seemed to resent Gil and Ki's presence in the tavern.

"Sargon!" said Gil. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"Go away," mumbled Sargon.

"Why do you want us to go away?" asked Ki.

"Please," said Sargon. "Just get out of here! I don't want to cause a scene in the tavern, or they'll not allow me back in!"

"Wait!" said Gil. "We don't mean to do any harm to you or anyone else. It was not me and Ki who caused Druaga to return to the world."

"Yeah, right," said Sargon.

"Believe us," said Ki. "Gil and I had nothing to do with Druaga's escape! It was that rotten Succubus who got him out of there! We were there, and the guardians saw her escape with him!"

All of a sudden, Sargon was no longer bitter. He began to smile a bit, and looked up at Gil and Ki. He opened his eyes to get a good look at them. Finally, Gil and Ki saw the Sargon that they knew.

"Gil! Ki!" said Sargon. "It really wasn't you! I'm so glad that it wasn't you! I really did hope so, but my disappointment got the better of me and repressed my hope. I would love to help you out."

"There is not much you can do," said Gil. "Druaga is now too powerful for me and Ki to handle by ourselves. It would be best if you just cheered for us on our quest to defeat Druaga once and for all and return the Blue Crystal Rod!"

"We talked to Ishtar, too," said Ki. "She is talking with Anu right now."

Meanwhile, in heaven, Ishtar stood before Anu, pleading before him.

"Anu," said Ishtar, "you have got to do something about this. At this rate, I think that peace _must_ return to the world. We can't just sit around on our backsides and watch the humans suffer."

"Sorry," said Anu, "but thanks to that wretched Ereshkigal and that equally horrid Sumerian emperor, I have lost all my patience for those humans. Ereshkigal may not be human, but she seems to act like them!"

"Please!" begged Ishtar. "We need to defeat Druaga, or nobody will ever be truly happy again! There must be something that you can do!"

Anu thought about it for a long time. When he eventually nearly bored Ishtar with his pondering, he told her about what he was thinking.

"Well," said Anu. "I have the power to strengthen Gilgamesh's sword power and Ki's magic prowess. But they need help from a third person. I can see it in someone on earth…of blood relation to the prince…"

"Who is it?" asked Ishtar.

"This person is Princess Arzu," said Anu. "She has shown courage when defending Babylim prior to its fall last year. She has also shown the patience to wait for Gilgamesh when going through the Tower of Druaga."

"You're right!" said Ishtar. "I shall tell that to Gil and Ki. Thank you! Just get their equipment ready."

"Good," said Anu. "Because they should be going up the Tower of Druaga!"

The next day was quite boring for Gil and Ki. Lamia's funeral was held, and Bahlarant appeared to the world. The day after that, Bahlarant disappeared into the tower. People were wondering what happened to Bahlarant. He and Allat had come out of nowhere, and disappeared as soon as the funeral was over. But then they had found out from Gil and Ki that he was at the Tower of Druaga.

Finally, when the week was over, Gil and Ki reported to Ishtar.

"Gil…Ki…" said Ishtar. "Anu has decided to give you one more chance. To prove yourselves worthy, you must go up the Tower of Druaga again and defeat Druaga, Succubus, and Bahlarant. Not only that, you must dustory Druaga's Dark Crystal Rod after his defeat. But this time you can't do it alone. You must bring Princess Arzu with you. I have seen her fight bravely and use her mind wisely. I have Gil's armor ready for him, plus some gear for Ki and Arzu. Can you bring Arzu to me?"

Gil and Ki found Arzu outside the temple and explained what was going on. She agreed to go in and see Ishtar. Ishtar had gotten out Gil's armor and sword.

"I have charged them up to be able to defeat the enemies," said Ishtar.

"Thank you," said Gil.

"Ki," said Ishtar. "Here is a wand that will be able to shoot stronger spells. Unfortunately, it can only shoot fireballs. The other spells have been forgotten for some reason. But you can find more potent spells in the tower." She handed Ki a silver tunic and wand with an iridescent jewel.

"Thank you as well," said Ki.

"Arzu," said Ishtar, "Here is a scimitar. This weapon is pretty strong, but Druaga is said to be hiding stronger ones. Do you think that you're confident enough to venture within the Tower of Druaga?" She handed Arzu a white scimitar, a shield, and a golden tunic.

"Yes," said Arzu. "I think I am confident enough."

"Okay," said Ishtar. "To prepare you, I have given you not only weapons, but several potions. The enemies, from the weakest green slimes to the dreaded Akkynd Knights, are much stronger now than they were last time. You will find more potions in the tower." She handed them a potion pack.

"I also have three tasks for you when you get in the tower," said Ishtar. "The first task is to find the treasures. I explained to Gil last time that there were treasures to be found within the tower. I will provide you with another hint book. This one is in pictures, so pay attention to them carefully. Among them will be better weapons for Arzu and spells for Ki. The most important treasure is the Hyper Ruby Mace on the 56th floor. Anu has powered up the Ruby Mace so you can slay Druaga, which you can't do without the mace."

The three agreed to this.

"The second task," said Ishtar, "is to defeat Druaga's minions. When he escaped from the underworld, he used his magic to summon four of his foul creatures. These creatures assisted him in his wars against humanity in ancient times. These creatures are known as Nergal, Humbaba, Lamashtu, and Gugalanna. You can find them on the 10th, 20th, 30th, and 40th floors. Defeat all of them. There is also a doppelganger of Gilgamesh hiding in the tower. Be careful of it, since it is one of Druaga's weapons."

The three agreed to this as well.

"And for the third and final task," said Ishtar, "on the 57th floor at earliest, you will encounter Druaga, Succubus, and Bahlarant. Defeat them before you can go to the top floor. There you must destroy the Dark Crystal Rod."

"What's that?" asked Arzu.

"It was what Succubus tried to offer to Gil on his first ascent," said Ishtar. "The Dark Crystal Rod has the power to cause chaos. When Druaga was defeated, it was rendered powerless, but now that he is back, the Dark Crystal Rod is fully charged once more."

"Then we will destroy it," said Gil.

"We agree," said Ki and Arzu.

"Now then," said Ishtar, "you know your plans." She went over the plan again. "Remember, tomorrow is the day to go to the Tower of Druaga." She bade them good luck and said goodbye to them.

When Gil, Ki, and Arzu told Sargon about their plans, he called for another conference at the meeting hall. Yet this one was more like a rally.

During the conference, Sargon stood at the lectern, dressed in his best clothes again, and began talking.

"Citizens of Babylim," said Sargon. "I know that Druaga has returned to this world, and he has made everyone hopeless. But we cannot remain this way. We need to fight him! We need to remain vigilant and proud! We can't do it ourselves, but we need to trust Gil, Ki, and Arzu! It's time for the recovery of Babylim!"

Everyone in the crowd cheered.

The next day was the big day. First, everyone put on their gear. Next, Ki bade her family goodbye. Then, Gil, Ki, and Arzu went to see Sargon once more. They told him about their plans.

"I wish you the best of luck," said Sargon. "Me, Alina, and everyone in Babylim pray that you will defeat Druaga once and for all. I believe in you." They all hugged. Then, the group bade Sargon farewell and made their way to the tower.

Gil, Ki, and Arzu beheld before them the Tower of Druaga, as tall and fearsome as ever. They walked up the stairs of its base and approached the door. Gil opened the door. He, Ki, and Arzu went inside. The toughest part of the quest had begun.


	52. Up the Tower Again

_The next few chapters will detail Gil's return to the Tower of Druaga along with Ki and Arzu. This section is loosely based on the PS2 game The Nightmare of Druaga. Some of the treasures' reveal methods are taken from the actual game, but the treasures themselves in this story are different. Enjoy!_

**FLOOR 1**

Gil, Ki, and Arzu found themselves inside the Tower of Druaga. Gil noticed that the floor was suspiciously like it was when he had come in the first time. Some of the walls had candles in them, and it was very dark on the floor. The mazes were of a different layout, though, in order to confuse the group.

This floor had various Green Slimes and Purple Vampires running around. They looked the same on the outside, yet they were moving slightly faster.

Gil, Ki, and Arzu walked through the tower and looked around for enemies. While they were doing this, Arzu was reading the hint book that Ishtar had given them. The first page contained a picture of three Purple Vampires, all of which were crossed out.

"This means that we should kill three Purple Vampires," said Arzu. She drew her weapon. Gil and Ki followed suit. They looked around until they located a Purple Vampire.

At once, the Purple Vampire made a run for the group. The group began attacking it. Then, two more Purple Vampires came running out of nowhere. They surrounded Gil, Ki, and Arzu.

"What will we do" asked Ki.

"I know!" said Gil. "We will each fight a separate vampire. That way, all three of them will easily die." The three fought the vampires off with their weapons. Soon, all the Purple Vampires were dead.

A treasure chest appeared in the center of the room. Gil and Ki walked towards it. This treasure chest contained a Platinum Pickax. This pickax would enable Gil to break any walls within the tower except for the outside walls.

"Good work," said Arzu.

Several Green Slimes then approached the group. Ki began focusing with her wand, and she shot fireballs at them. The slimes splattered to the ground and died.

Gil saw a key floating in its orb. He approached the key and grabbed it. He then led Ki and Arzu to the door. The door opened and the group exited the floor.

**FLOOR 2**

This floor had many more enemies. There were Green Slimes, Black Slimes, Purple Vampires, an Orange Vampire, and bats. Arzu looked at the hint book. It showed a picture of a bat, a Purple Vampire, and a Green Slime, meaning that the enemies must be killed in that order.

The group got to work. They stood still until a bat approached them. Ki shot a flamethrower at the bat, killing it. Then, Gil and Ki walked around, leaving Arzu to watch for slimes. Gil and Ki found a Purple Vampire and quickly killed it. Then, Arzu found a Green Slime and hacked away at it.

When the three were back together, they found a treasure chest. They opened it up. This chest contained a small Sack of Spikes. This sack contained eight spikes, which were spiky balls that would poison and kill enemies. The group debated who would take them (quickly, since the remaining enemies could find them), and Ki was given control of the spikes.

Soon, the remaining enemies began swarming and approached Gil, Ki, and Arzu. The three drew their weapons and began attacking them. It took a while, but all the enemies had fallen soon. Gil found the key in the remains of one of the vampires and took it. He used it to get the group off the second floor.

**FLOOR 3**

This floor had plenty of enemies as well. There were Black Slimes, Red Slimes, Blue Knights, and a Black Knight. Gil looked at the hint book. There was a picture of a 10. This meant they had to kill ten enemies to reveal the treasure.

Gil, Ki, and Arzu drew their weapons and began moving so they could find enemies. Gil found two Blue Knights. He charged at the knights and hacked away at them, killing them. Ki was approached by three Black Slimes, which she killed with fireballs. Arzu then encountered three Red Slimes. She slashed through them with her scimitar.

"Eight enemies so far," said Gil. "Now we need only two more to kill."

The group encountered these enemies in the form of a Blue Knight and a Black Knight. The knights drew their swords and began running towards the group. Ki shot fireballs at the Blue Knight. It took a while, but the knight died. She then threw a spike at the Black Knight, injuring and blinding him. Gil thrashed at the Black Knight, killing him.

Gil looked in the potion pack that he was carrying. There were four Light Blue Potions, two Blue Potions, and a Green Potion. Gil took out and drank a Light Blue Potion.

The treasure chest then appeared. It contained a Light Blue Potion. Arzu put it in the potion pack in Gil's satchel. Then, the group found the key. They used it to exit the floor.

**FLOOR 4**

This floor had several Green Slimes and a few Mages teleporting around. The group decided to approach them with caution, so they took one step to the south. To their great surprise, the treasure chest appeared.

Gil looked inside the treasure chest. It contained a Candle. This would enable the group to see ghosts – but only until floor 12. Then, the group encountered the Mages. Ki shot fireballs at them, killing them. Gil saw some Green Slimes approaching. He took care of them with his sword.

After a while, the group found the key in the southwest corner. They used it to open the door and exit the floor.

**FLOOR 5**

This floor had the ghosts that the Candle on the previous floor had allowed to be seen. There were two of them, and they were shooting all kinds of spells. There were also a few Green Vampires and a snake.

The snake was the first one to approach them. Gil slashed at the snake until it died. Then, they waited for the ghosts to come. The ghosts came after a little while. Gil, Ki, and Arzu began attacking them. Gil and Arzu blocked the ghosts' spells with their shields, while Ki shot spells to kill the ghosts.

The treasure chest then appeared. Inside of it was a Green Line Shield. This would give Arzu greater defense. She took it, and it replaced her old shield.

The group quickly dealt with the Green Vampires. After they were gone, Ki found the key, which she used to get everyone off the floor.

**FLOOR 6**

This floor had several bats flying around. There were also several Blue Slimes. Gil looked at the manual. It showed a picture of a key and a potion.

The bats flew towards the group and swooped at them, knocking Gil off his feet. Ki shot fireballs to kill them. She then went to get the key while Arzu watched Gil.

"I'm hurt," said Gil.

"Don't worry," said Arzu. "Ki's on her way with the key."

After a minute, Ki approached Gil and Arzu with the key. Arzu then used a Blue Potion on Gil. He was feeling better and got up.

Gil hadn't used his Platinum Pickax yet, so he broke a wall with it. He found the treasure chest. Inside this chest was a Shining Scimitar. Arzu took it and it replaced her scimitar.

The group then found the door, opened it, and went upstairs.

**FLOOR 7**

Gil began to look around for enemies, while Ki and Arzu read the hint book. The picture had a picture of four enemies and a potion crossed out. That meant that they must kill four enemies, but not use any healing potions.

Three Mirror Knights swiftly approached the group. They began attacking. Ki tried using fireballs against the Mirror Knights, but they did little damage. Gil and Arzu hacked away at them with their swords. Eventually, all the Mirror Knights had fallen. The group had all been injured.

"Three enemies are down," said Ki. "But the book says four." The three looked around, with Gil breaking two walls in the process. They found an ogre. The group charged at it and thrashed until the ogre died. They still got hit by the ogre's trident, though. The ogre was guarding the key, which Arzu took.

The group then went back to their starting point and found a treasure chest. Inside of it was a Silver Mirror. This would slow down any future Mirror Knights in the tower. The first one had worn off after Gil and Ki had left the tower. The group then used the key to exit the floor.

**FLOOR 8**

This floor had more enemies than last time. There were several Orange Vampires and Black Vampires, as well as a Sorcerer. Gil, Ki, and Arzu began searching them out.

The vampires and the Sorcerer found the group looking for them near the northwest corner of the floor. They began attacking them. Gil and Arzu attacked them with their swords, while Ki went to look for the key. When Gil and Arzu were done, Ki came back with the key.

The three found the treasure chest in the center of the floor. When they opened it up, they found a scroll with a spell for Ki. This spell contained the power of Thunder. It was far more powerful than fireballs, and it took the form of thunderbolts. Since everyone was hurt, they each drank a Light Blue Potion.

The group then used the key to exit the floor.

**FLOOR 9**

Only one more floor to go until the first boss. This floor had several enemies. There were Mages, Green Slimes, and Blue Knights. Gil looked in the hint book. It showed a picture of the sword swinging and a number 5: he had to swing his sword five times at nothing.

First, Gil began swinging his sword repeatedly. After five swings, the treasure chest appeared. This chest contained another scroll. Now Ki could put up protection shields again. These would only work once per floor, and could not be used on boss levels.

Now the group had to deal with the enemies. First, the Mages appeared. Ki quickly disposed of them with thunderbolts. Next were the Green Slimes. Gil and Arzu fought the slimes off. Now was for the Blue Knights. There were two of them. Gil attacked one of them, while Arzu attacked the other. Both Blue Knights died.

The group then found the key, and approached the door.

"Well…this is it…" said Gil. "The first boss should be ready for us." Gil opened the door and led everyone upstairs.

**FLOOR 10**

Now was time for the first boss. When Gil, Ki, and Arzu walked in, they noticed that the room had few inner walls. The door immediately shut as they approached the center. Then, a mysterious fog loomed around the room. Nergal, the first boss, appeared to them. He was a huge beast with the head of a lion. Two horns were atop his head. He wielded an axe.

At once Nergal started to attack the group with his axe. Gil and Arzu began attacking him with their weapons, while Ki shot thunderbolts at him. Nergal breathed fire at the group, injuring Arzu. Gil and Ki ran to the other side of the room, while Arzu drank a Blue Potion. Once she recovered, she made a run for Nergal and slashed him. He breathed fire again. Gil and Arzu dodged the fire. Ki threw two spikes at Nergal's face, blinding him.

Now Nergal was getting weak. When he tried to breathe fire, he missed the group. Gil and Arzu then finished Nergal off with their weapons. This made Nergal collapse, and he instantly died. His body quickly disintegrated. He left behind a key.

"All right!" said Gil. The first boss is dead!"

"Now we can get to the next floor," said Arzu. The group took the key and made their way to the door. Then they opened it and exited the floor.

**FLOOR 11**

Gil, Ki, and Arzu entered the eleventh floor. Now the floors of the tower were getting darker and hazier. Gil realized that after a certain floor, the tower would darken like last time.

This floor had more ghosts; the last that would be visible until the group could locate another candle. There were also Black Knights, Red Slimes, and Blue Slimes roaming the floor.

Gil read the hint book. It showed a picture of three ghosts, as well as a picture of a knight crossed out. This meant that three ghosts must fall, but no knights could be killed yet.

The first ghost approached the group after teleporting around the floor. Ki took it out with a thunderbolt. The group later encountered a number of Red Slimes, which they easily disposed of. They also found Blue Slimes. Gil blocked the Blue Slimes' spells with his shield while Ki and Arzu fought them.

Next, the three found two more ghosts. Ki shot thunderbolts at the ghosts, killing them. This made the treasure chest appear. Inside of it was a Crystal Bell. It shined in all the colors of the rainbow. The group didn't know what to do with it.

"It might come in handy later," said Arzu.

The group then went to get the key, dispatching the Black Knights on the way. When they found the key, they used it to open the door and exit the floor.

**FLOOR 12**

When Gil looked at the hint book for this floor, he found a picture of a torch. "I guess I should face the nearest torch," said Gil. "That's easy." He turned around and looked at the nearest torch. The treasure instantly appeared. Inside this chest was another Candle. This would allow the group to see ghosts – but only until floor 21.

This floor had more Black Knights, as well as several Sorcerers and a Druid. Gil, Ki, and Arzu approached the Black Knights with their weapons drawn. They fought them off easily. Then, the group encountered the Sorcerers. Ki shot spells at them, while Arzu blocked them with her shield. Gil broke a nearby wall with the Platinum Pickax and found the key. Gil also found the Druid, which he slew.

Once all of the enemies had died, the group walked towards the exit. They opened it with the key and went upstairs.

**FLOOR 13**

This floor was full of enemies: It had Mirror Knights, Red Slimes, Blue Slimes, a few bats, and a Green Roper.

First, the group read the hint book. It had a picture of five Red Slimes crossed out. "We should kill five Red Slimes," said Ki. "But I'm sure we can kill other enemies on the floor as well."

The group searched the floor for enemies. They found three Red Slimes and two Blue Slimes in an alcove. The slimes shot spells, which Gil and Arzu blocked. Ki attacked the slimes with thunderbolts. The slimes splattered to the ground. After walking some more, the group found another, longer alcove. Gil broke a wall with the pickax, revealing the bats and the Green Roper. Gil, Ki, and Arzu attacked. The bats died quickly, but the Green Roper took time to defeat.

Next, the group found two more Red Slimes. The slimes were easily disposed of with Gil's sword. After the slimes were dead, the group took a breather. But suddenly, three Mirror Knights attacked from the shadows. Each member of the party focused on a separate knight, but it took a while to defeat them.

The party went back to their starting point. They found a treasure chest. Inside the chest were two Rings of Ishtar. These would make Ki and Arzu immune to Will-o-Wisps, which were to be found on later floors.

After that, the group went to find the key. After they found it, they used it to open the exit and go upstairs.

**FLOOR 14**

This floor didn't have as many enemies. There were only a few Yellow Slimes, a Blue Knight, and a Mage located here.

The group read the hint book. It had a picture of a number 90. The group needed to wait ninety seconds. They stood sedentary for ninety seconds, and then the treasure chest appeared.

Ki opened up the treasure chest. It contained another spell scroll. This one would enable her to shoot flamethrowers. These were more powerful than the flamethrowers she used the first time.

Eventually, the enemies found the group and started to attack. Gil cut through the Yellow Slimes with his sword. Arzu used her scimitar to kill the Mage. Ki killed the Blue Knight with a flamethrower.

The group then searched for the key. They located it in an alcove. They used it to open the door and go upstairs.

**FLOOR 15**

This was another floor with many enemies. The floor contained more Green Ropers, as well as Orange Vampires, snakes, and an ogre.

The group looked at the hint book. It had a picture of a roper that was crossed out. But like last time, it said that the group could _not_ kill any ropers.

Gil, Ki, and Arzu searched for enemies. They found the ogre and two snakes. The group slew them with their weapons. Then, they searched for the Orange Vampires, which they killed easily. Now all the enemies were dead, with the exception of the Green Ropers. Gil located the key in an alcove and took it

The treasure chest appeared near the start. When the party approached it, they opened it. This treasure chest had another Crystal Bell. Like the first one, it could come in handy later.

Eventually, the Green Ropers found the group and began attacking. Ki shot flamethrowers at them, while Gil and Arzu hacked away. After a vigorous fight, the ropers died. The party then found the door, opened it up, and went upstairs.

**FLOOR 16**

This floor also had a lot of enemies. There were Black Slimes, Blue Slimes, Black Knights, ghosts, and red Will-o-Wisps. Fortunately, everyone was now immune to the Will-o-Wisps.

The first thing that the group did was read the hint book. It had a picture of a key, as well as a 15: get the key and then kill fifteen enemies.

Gil immediately began breaking down walls to seek out the key. After breaking down four walls, he found the key. When he did, he picked it up. Seven slimes noticed as well. Various Black Slimes and Blue Slimes attacked. The party killed them quickly.

Next, the group found three more Black Slimes. They disposed of them quickly. After that, they lured the three ghosts that teleported across the room into a corner. When the ghosts were cornered, Ki killed them with flamethrowers.

Last were the two Black Knights. Arzu lured them over to Gil and Ki, and all three of them fought them in a rigorous battle. When the knights died, the treasure chest appeared. This chest contained three Blue Potions.

Gil took a Blue Potion out of the chest and drank it, for he was the most worn out. Ki also drank a Blue Potion. Arzu wasn't as exhausted, so she drank a Light Blue Potion.

The group then used the key to open the door and exit the floor.

**FLOOR 17**

Luckily, there weren't as many enemies on this floor as there were on floors 15 and 16. There were a few Red Slimes and Druids, as well as a Dark Eye. The group began fighting the enemies immediately.

Gil found two Red Slimes in an alcove. He killed them with his sword. Arzu encountered Druids as she made her way across the room. She lured them all together, blocking spells as she went along, and killed them. Ki found the Dark Eye near the center of the room. She threw a spike at it and made it collapse to the floor.

The group reunited in the center and found the treasure chest. They opened it up. Inside was a Gold Scimitar. This was more powerful than the Shining Scimitar, and it radiated golden light. Arzu took it immediately.

"I like the light that it gives off," she said. "It can help guide us."

The group then went to get the key, which they used to go upstairs.

**FLOOR 18**

On this floor were Sorcerers and Red Ropers. They were moving around like crazy. Gil looked at the hint book. There was a picture of a Sorcerer and a Red Roper: kill these enemies in that order.

The party sought out a Sorcerer. They found one after Gil broke a wall with the pickax. Ki shot a thunderbolt at the Sorcerer, killing him. Later, the group found a Red Roper. All three of them attacked the roper. With their combined effort, the Red Roper died.

Gil broke two more walls with his pickax, and exposed the treasure chest that just appeared. When the group opened it, they found a Potion Pack. It contained three Blue Potions and two Green Potions. The group then found the key. They then dealt with the rest of the enemies, and after a battle, they exited the floor.

**FLOOR 19**

"Last floor before the second boss," said Ki.

"Indeed," said Gil. "I'm guessing that there's a third Crystal Bell on this floor. Maybe the bells are here for a reason."

"I agree," said Ki. "Let's look at the manual."

Ki looked at the manual. It contained a picture of an ogre and a spike.

The group moved from their starting point and looked for enemies. They found a swarm of bats swooping down. Ki shot flamethrowers at them, killing every single one. Arzu found a few Pink Slimes and killed them. Then, the group sought an ogre. They saw one walking around. Ki threw a spike at it. Before the ogre could respond, it died.

The group went back to the starting point and found a treasure chest. And Gil was right – it contained a third Crystal Bell. Gil then went to get the key and came back with it swiftly. The group approached the door and opened it. They went upstairs. Now for the second boss…

**FLOOR 20**

The twentieth floor contained four huge pillars in different sections of the room. They were aligned perfectly. One of them had a fourth Crystal Bell hanging in it. Gil, Ki, and Arzu once again approached the center of the room. Then, in a flash, the room was engulfed in a haze. Humbaba, the second boss, ran out of nowhere. He had the face of a lion, and he had a body built like an ogre. Like Nergal, he was able to breathe fire.

Humbaba began to attack the party. He breathed fire at them. The group dodged it. He tried two more times, and the group dodged the flames again. Gil, Ki, and Arzu continued to attack Humbaba. Then, he let out a loud, ear-splitting roar. He was putting up a magic barrier to make himself immune to magic. Gil and Ki were nearly knocked off of their feet. Ki tried shooting spells at him, but they didn't work. Humbaba roared again.

"He sure is loud," said Gil.

"What will we do?" asked Ki.

"I know," said Arzu. "I guess we can use these bells now." Each member of the party took a Crystal Bell and ran for the pillars without bells. They placed them in. The bells began chiming beautifully.

Humbaba couldn't take the ringing, so he fell down. He was severely weakened by the bells. Gil went over to his face and punched him. Then he attacked him with his sword. Humbaba whimpered, but then Arzu decapitated him. As Humbaba's corpse disintegrated, the group saw a key appear. Ki ran over to it and picked it up.

"That's better," said Ki. She used the key to get the party off the floor.

The group then encountered Ishtar. She had been waiting for them.

"Good work so far," she said. "But now the tower's floors will get harder. There will be tough enemies you have not encountered before. You must remain on your guard at all times. The next two bosses are also tougher. They won't require any special items as with Humbaba, but they will take longer to kill."

The group nodded their heads.

"Well," said Ishtar, "I'll let you rest here. It's getting late."

Ishtar put Gil, Ki, and Arzu in a deep sleep.


End file.
